Genesis
by Nyddi
Summary: One girl's soul holds the key to saving the entire human realm. Problem is, she is temptation incarnate. In comes the 'Unfallen', one of the last of his kind. He won't be keeping that status for long. ExB #Angelward #Drabble #Dark #Violent #REVAMPED #REPOSTED #GEN
1. Chapter 1

So...I'm trying to come back onto this site. Now, I said I wouldn't but a lot of ppl love it here despite what was done to so many authors. That being said, I will give it a try. But if this fic gets pulled 'cause of the little whores that shall not be named, I'm giving up on this site once and for all.

As always, I love you all so hard for all your support xoxo

Nyddi is doing it drabble-style. And Dark-Arch Angel style. 'Cause Eddie naked with black wings makes my hoo-hah soooo effing happy.

May the Lord and the Christians forgive me, for we will all sin.

And considering the prudes got in my way…we're sinning harder than ever before :p

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_**Genesis 6:1-4 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.**_

**Chapter 1:**

**The Fallen**

* * *

***EPOV

They'd all fallen. All of them.

A long line in pathetic, weak fools that were nothing but traitors.

Traitors to their own cause. Traitors to the humanity they were bound to protect. So many of them over the millenia. So many that our numbers had dwindled. Pathetically low.

And there was so much more I still didn't know. So much I was about to learn. Things that would poison my insides.

A victim was out there. One victim. Many traitors. All of them turning and hurting her.

Her. How did I not see her coming? Then again, how was I to guess?

They'd all turned on her. They'd all fucking hurt her.

I loathed them for their weakness. Then again, I would never share it.

Or so I thought.

It had been thousands of years since I had last visited the true hell.

Earth.

But even so, I was still known as the one that had never fallen. The one that no matter the temptation had never given in.

How could I? I didn't share their temptations. Was revolted by them. A prisoner to the temptations of another creature and everything _she _wanted of me.

Their animal instincts on the lower realm disgusted me. The ones who carried it over into this realm even more so.

It was why I was dead. Detached.

Cold as I landed on the steps of the temple at the very edges of this 'paradise.' Cold, uncaring, and ready to do my 'duty' as far as one 'divine' female was concerned.

Ready to give her my body, against my will, as always, and allow her to use her powers to garner the reaction she desired.

A reaction I could never willingly give her.

No. That reaction was dead, as far as I knew.

What I didn't know was that it was locked inside me. Waiting.

And in a matter of hours I would be forced to deal with its reawakening.

It would be only the beginning. Existence as I knew it was about to get a lot more confusing.

A lot more fucked up.


	2. The Call

**Chapter 2:**

**The Call**

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***EPOV

"She is unprotected," Markonius' voice rings out in my ear.

I don't know how else to convey to him that I do not give a fuck, as the humans put it.

But at the mention of a 'she'…it's just a word, one that can mean anyone. Yet, at hearing it, something inside me prickles.

It's whispers that I'm a liar even as the next words leave my mouth.

"I'm not interested. Haven't been for thousands of years. What makes you think I would be now?" I snap.

I'm irritated. Beneath the robe, the lashes on my back grate annoyingly. The bitch had been especially brutal this time. Forcing me to pay for something that wasn't my fault.

I can't get fucking hard for her. Never could. To a creature like that bitch Goddess, it's the ultimate insult.

I wish she'd just take it as the obvious, glaring hint it is and just let me go.

"We have been watching her from the moment of her birth."

"And why?" I ask, barely interested. Again, I hear the whisper of the word 'liar'.

I'm interested. Enough to still be standing here, listening to this crap.

I force myself to stand tall. Force the muscles and tissues of my back to stay together.

If my wings spread now, the pain would intensify.

_Stupid bitch._

Not for the first time, a part of me is glad the human fairy tales were nothing more than that.

Then again, perhaps I wouldn't be locked in this hell if they were true.

"She's destined to be the _Sacrificium Exterminatore_. And if anyone doesn't deserve it, it's her Eduardus."

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_**Sacrificium Exterminatore : Destroyer's Sacrifice.**_

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	3. Vows Broken, Messes Made

**Chapter 3**

**Vows Broken, Messes Made**

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***EPOV

"So you're telling me I'm the tenth one called in. That _ten _of us before me have fallen to this woman?" I ask, almost disgusted as I stare down into the ripping, violent vortex leading to Earth.

I'm also getting angrier by the second. I can't place it but there's something dark awakening inside me.

"No. She was innocent, she never tempted them purposely. They fell because they couldn't control themselves, not by any action of her own. She's also managed to hand all ten of those assholes their nuts back to them courtesy of her foot."

"Are you saying that..."

"Ten of _us_, as you put it, lost their God-damned mind over her to the point that they attempted to ravage her."

Rage pounded through me. I didn't know the human he spoke of and up to now I'd been more than a little annoyed at her existence but...The thought of one of us going so low grated deep. One. Now he was telling me _ten _had?

Yes, the fairy-tales were _mostly _inaccurate. But below them lay some truths, and we'd all taken very serious vows. What had become of my brethren?

"Tell me they've been punished," I demanded, eye staring off into space.

"Of course they have. Severely," Markonius said, his tone odd.

"So this is why you're calling me in," I said, flashing out of my robe and into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I manifested a leather jacket next, careful of how I slide into it.

God, how I hated the oppressiveness of human clothes.

Even more, I hated the still healing wounds on my back and who put them there.

"Exactly. Oh, and don't forget your shoes."

Fuck my life.

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	4. Temptation's First Glimpse

**Chapter 4**

**Temptation's First Glimpse**

***EPOV

Earth truly was hell. But I'd always known it. It'd been hell thousands of years ago back when man had been primitive.

It still was now no matter how much man managed to gloss it over and hide it with all its modern inventions.

Steel. Chrome. The visions on their screens. All lies as they spiral further away from the truth.

They'd been barbarians in ancient times but at least then, they'd been honest about it.

Now…now they were just determined to hide. Determined to hide behind a façade of normalcy that they barely understood and could never, ever hope to emulate.

_Why the fuck did I agree to come down here again?_

'_Cause you're a moron._

And...it gave me a break.

The healing wounds on my back reminded me so.

Being what I was had its benefits, of course, and not only did I have all the knowledge necessary to navigate this world (and many others) I also had all the money and amenities, as well.

Still, it annoyed me to no end to be here.

I hated it. Especially with my 'talent'. I could still hear them _all. _Could hear their filthy thoughts as they stared at me. Just like _hers_.

Disgusting.

All of them.

Except one.

I couldn't hear a thing.

And blazing, honey-brown eyes were now in front of me.

Glaring _furiously _up at me.


	5. Suffocating

**Chapter 5**

**Suffocating**

* * *

***EPOV

_I can't hear anything. Why can't I hear anything from her?_

Was she addle-minded?

No. There was a shrewdness and severe intelligence swimming in the molten depths of those eyes.

Eyes that were snapping at me.

Eyes that were framed by perfectly curved eyebrows, one of them raised slightly in expectation...

_I can't breathe._

_You don't need to breathe._

_Then why do I feel like I have to?_

"Well?" left her mouth.

My overly sensitive and acute ears picked up every nuance of the sound.

She _is _beautiful. With cheekbones that were nothing short of artistic and a nose that was too adorable. Her lips, even scrunched up with disapproval as they were right then, were attractive.

I'd have to be out of my mind not to notice. Anything with the power to compute fucking beauty would notice.

Even worse, her voice was raspy and held a huskiness to its feminine pitch that was making me feel slightly sick in a way I hadn't felt in…I'd been human. That much I remembered.

And even then, the heat had been nothing like what was engulfing me now.

I almost stumbled back, confused as the tightness in my lungs grew.

"Oh great," the girl murmured, rolling those too big eyes. "This time they sent me a mute."

"I'm not mute," I barked.

Both of us froze at the roughness of my voice.

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	6. Unprecedented Audacity

**Chapter 6**

**Unprecedented Audacity**

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***EPOV

The most obstinate-

_And beautiful._

_Damn it! You shut up. Just shut it right now… _

-creature I'd ever encountered was standing before me, with her arms crossed and a pout on her face that was making me uncharacteristically angry.

It was calling my attention to every line.

Every curve.

I'd seen beautiful women. Everyone else's definition of beautiful.

What was before me was apparently a whole new level I'd never encountered and my eyes were moving rapidly from angle to angle, against my will, the fuckers trying to burn every curve of that face into my memory.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

"Well," she sighed, looking around her at all the other students that were exiting campus. "At least this time this one's not hitting on me right off the bat."

'This one' was right here and could hear everything she said.

Audacious thing.

But her comment only infuriated me further. Brought home the fact of _why _I was here and why she needed my specific protection.

_Except, you don't feel overly 'protective' right now, do you?_

Shit. This was bad. My psyche was turning against me. Long dormant male instincts were roaring to life faster than I could keep up.

It was obvious that the girl before me was a problem. A _huge _one.

And I had to follow her around for God knew how long.

At least until we could take down Iy'tarias.

Great.

Fucking, fucking great.

"Just lead the way," I snapped, my jaw twitching as I stepped back.

Might as well get this over with.

"Sure thing, oh great assholeness," she snapped right back, stomping away from me.

WHAT THE HELL DID SHE JUST CALL ME?


	7. Confusing Collisions

**Chapter 7**

**Confusing Collisions**

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***EPOV

"I don't think you realize who you're speaking to, little girl," I warned, following right behind her. Don't ask me how I ended up in this _ridiculous _argument, I have no idea. She started it!

_And you're determined to finish it._

Damn right I am!

It'd been barely fifteen minutes since I'd met the _creature _in front of me. I was already prepped to call this 'mission' quits.

Except...fucking shit. A part of me was literally _alive _from our verbally violent back-and-forth. I wanted to leave.

I wanted to stay and win.

The challenge was nerve sparking.

"Oh, please," she said, slamming through the glass door of the building complex. "You're just another power drunk asshole. Let me tell you this, my life was way better when I believed the lies the 'good book' said about you guys."

I growled. Would've been surprised at the sound but I was too busy following the annoying girl through the lobby and towards the elevators.

And...

_You're having fun, asshole. Just admit it._

_Fuck!_

"Well, then you understand something. Stop. Pushing. Me," I snapped, glaring down at her as she pushed the button.

"Stop. Pushing. Me," she mimicked, the tone of her voice making me see red.

I let her go ahead into the metal contraption, knowing my eyes were spitting fire at her.

"Well?" she asked again, her face brutally antagonizing.

I remained frozen, glaring at her. "Whatever," she mumbled, rolling her eyes again and letting the elevator close. I walked away from it, heading straight to the stairs. Once there, I closed my eyes and flashed myself directly onto her floor.

Right in front of the elevator.

Right as it opened.

Huge. Fucking. Mistake.

"Holy shit!" the girl cried, stumbling out of the elevator when she saw I was there.

And, somehow, falling straight into my arms.


	8. Confusion Intensified

**Chapter 8**

**Confusion Intensified**

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****EPOV

Soft. Fragile. Delicate flesh heated up beneath my palms.

A shocked gasp. A startled groan. A wave of succulent moisture infusing the air.

I sucked back my breath, marveling at how my mouth watered.

Everything was tense.

For all intended purposes, I was in a flesh and _blood _body.

That meant I had a heart.

Said organ, with every inhale, pumped furiously.

Blood was dropping. Dropping at full velocity. I was too shocked by the pleasure of the skin I was feeling to fully recognize where it was heading.

At first.

For like two seconds.

I wouldn't be clueless for long.

Adrenaline coursed. I felt prepped for battle.

The curves against me should've startled me. Disgusted me.

Reminded me.

But these curves were nothing like _hers_.

Nothing like I'd ever felt. Smaller, fitting right into the palms of my hands.

Her arms were delicate but strong. Her next gasp even more so.

I tensed, realizing too late that she was inhaling my scent. That her face was too close.

It took another second for my brain to grasp the knowledge of what all my physiological symptoms meant.

A roar went off inside me. A beastly yawn echoing the sudden emptiness I felt within.

A hungry emptiness. A desperate one.

It was demanding _her._

All of this clashed in my mind just as I looked up and was met once more by those eyes.

And in that moment it registered. In my mind. Like a tiny hot flame whispering through.

Her voice. Thinking exactly what my mind had forbiddingly been thinking about her.

"_Why does this feel so good?"_


	9. The Open Door

**Chapter 9**

**The Open Door**

* * *

***EPOV

I pulled away from her so fast that in a blur, I ended up slamming against the hallway wall.

Isabella, as I knew her name to be, was still looking at me.

Those eyes were wicked.

Different.

Too wide and unavoidable.

Anger rushed through me.

The fire blasted straight at it, attempting to overcome the anger. It only mixed with it, the erupting becoming more catastrophic to my nerves.

Was this how she had tempted the others? Was this some sort of game?

Why the hell could I only hear her when we touched?

Had I even heard her?

Was my obviously failing mind playing tricks on me?

_With the lack of blood currently not in your head...very possible. Just saying._

I was speechless. Couldn't even think. I knew rationally what was happening to me but fought the admittance of that with all I was worth.

The girl before me seemed to slowly curl into herself. With an unsureness that seemed completely uncharacteristic to anything I had seen in the last half hour, she walked away from me.

Two doors down.

Delicate, tiny, shaking hands fumbled with the keys.

Opened the door.

With a long-suffering sigh she turned to look at me over her shoulder.

And annoyed the fuck out of me all over again.

**"**Well, since I'm stuck with your annoying ass until my inevitable demise, are you gonna come in?"

_I thought getting cursed out didn't turn you on before? Based on that logic, why the hell did the whole 'annoying ass' part cause more...You're swollen._

_You're full of shit._

_No I'm not._

_Shut it._

_You're the one arguing with yourself._

_FUCK!_


	10. Entering Into The Unknown

**Chapter 10**

**Entering Into The Unknown**

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***EPOV

I was still shaken from what had happened out in the hallway.

No way I was fucking admitting that, even to myself.

Fine, I wasn't having an easy time denying it, either, but it wasn't for lack of trying.

Fury was pummeling hot through my body. Normally, I wasn't the most level headed of my kind but still, nothing compared to this.

I wanted to keep pondering the reason behind my anger.

Everything warned me that I was better off leaving that alone.

Cautious steps took me towards the door. No, the irony wasn't lost on me. I had once lead legions of warriors face first into battle.

Yet, the idea of following that tiny creature had me more than anxious.

I peeked into her doorway.

Was immediately assaulted by her scent. Even from the doorway I could still tell that every bit of the interior of that apartment was _drenched _in that flowery, spicy combination.

_You're jeans are going to be drenched soon if this doesn't ease up._

Ignored it. I was completely ignoring it.

"Coming in or not?" that husky voice of hers called from inside the apartment.

_Feel that throbbing?_

_Seriously, are you coming from my cock? 'Cause I will punch you. Don't tempt me._

Everything was screaming warnings. I was internally panicking in a way I never had before.

Which only strengthened my resolve. I was a guardian, damn it, and I was on a mission.

So what if my body had finally re-awoken and proven itself weak?

I was still very much in control. Nothing would stop me from getting this done.

_Yeah. Ok._

The fate of this world rested on that girl's shoulders.

_The fate of your..._

No. Not going there. Nope.

So, bracing myself and stopping my breath all together, I strengthened my spine and walked right in.


	11. So, want some tea?

**SoapyMayhem, never let be said that I don't love you or your work. Early update thanks to her guys ^_~**

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**Chapter 11**

**So, want some tea?**

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***EPOV

Isabella was already in her small kitchen when I walked in. I could hear her moving about in there.

The apartment was small but with its open layout managed to look spacious. The kitchen was only divided from the living room by one wall with an opening on it.

"I know you guys can eat although you don't really have to. So, want some tea?" she asked, appearing in the open entryway to the kitchen.

Everything from her tone to her stance screamed 'defense mechanism'.

Everything except her hair that is. She'd clipped it up.

Her neck was...

Fascinating. Inspiring.

I hadn't sculpted in thousands of years, but something about that curve was making my fingers itch to...

Sculpt.

_Of course._

Clearly.

"Hello? 'Arch Angel of Death', tea?" she asked, her tone disrespectful once more.

I'd never jumped into a situation where the human was so accustomed to what I was just like that. No explanations, no awkward (or sometimes hysterical) reactions later.

"What kind do you have?" I heard myself ask out of no where. Eh, what the hell? It'd been a long, long time since I'd drank tea. I remembered I'd once enjoyed it.

"My own turkish blend. Come take a seat at the breakfast bar. You're about to have your socks knocked off."


	12. An UnderstandingFor Now?

**Chapter 12**

**An Understanding...For Now?**

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***EPOV

I was in heaven. For the first time in the reality of my existence, I had touched nirvana.

And fallen. Fallen back down so hard my body was still a throbbing mess from the impact.

My blood boiled, every beat of my heart sending it south.

Right into my dick.

_It was already there._

Correction: it was somehow mass-producing _more _blood and sending that to my dick.

A dick that was painfully hard and fully erect for the first time in thousands of years.

And it'd never been this bad. The hard-ons of my long, passed youth were nothing compared to this.

_She'd _done this to me. The new she-demon in my life.

With her tea.

_And her body._

_No, _her tea.

Her amazing, tongue seducing, tastebud throbbing tea.

_It isn't just her, tea. Admit it already!_

It was undeniable. I was beyond fucking aroused. Just as tempted as every fool I'd ever cursed.

Perhaps even more so.

**"**Want some more?" she asked, almost nicely.

I wanted the hell-cat back. The angry, lashing demoness. She was easier to handle. This softer side was...

**"**Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden?" I asked, catching myself by surprise.

Isabella sighed, taking the seat across from me and looking up at me with those big eyes.

Her small hands, which were wrapped around her steaming mug, called my up-to-now dormant artistic eye once more.

"I think it might be possible for us to come to some sort of...understanding...for now."

"An understanding? Explain," I said, trying to look away from her throat.

For fuck's sake, what was it with me and her damned throat?


	13. Fragility Encased In Strength

**Chapter 13**

**Fragility Encased In Strength**

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***EPOV

Her shoulders and overall demeanor spoke of strength. The tough girl look on her face was...cute.

_Once more, you're fucked._

I ignored that, studying the creature in front of me. Irritated that I couldn't hear her thoughts. At the fact that when it came to her, the universe was silent, telling me nothing.

Not even a whisper.

_'Markonius,' _I called out into the vastness. _'I don't appreciate having almost little-to-no knowledge of the human in my care.'_

_'And if the universe is hiding it from you, there is nothing I can do. You know that.'_

_'Tell me yourself,' _I demanded, still staring into chocolate, luscious depths. She still hadn't answered my question. No explanation was forthcoming. I could tell she was thinking something over, clearly choosing her words.

_'What you wish to know is only hers to tell. Trust me on that."_

Fuck my life. This just got better and better. Because every pore of hers was screaming openness.

Right.

"What sort of understanding?" I finally asked. Slowly. Carefully.

"The kind in which I trust you not to try and rape me in my sleep or at any other time. In return, I won't be such a bitch to you. Simple enough?"

She was dead-on serious. I could see it in her eyes.

Rage exploded behind my own. The throb and roar of it nearly blinded me.

I shouldn't have given a damn but I couldn't help it.

What the hell had the girl in front of me been through?


	14. A Question of Honor

**Chapter 14**

**A Question of Honor**

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***EPOV

I want to ask her why those exact terms were even necessary asking. But I know that if I do, it won't get me anywhere. I can see it in the stubborn set of her little jaw. The shudder covering her eyes.

A part of me didn't want to know, either. Well, it already did but it didn't want it confirmed.

_Yes, you do._

Yes.

I did.

I was in the mood to kill.

"You've got it. I'm sure Markonius told you about me..."

"Yes," she answered. "A bit. Your name is..."

"Edward," I supplied, knowing that the English version of my name would be more comfortable for her.

She smirked, the tilt of her lip distracting me. "What? Embarrassed of Eduardus?" she actually teased.

Teased.

I heard something crying softly.

Pitifully.

I'm pretty sure the sound was somehow coming from between my legs.

But I won't lie and say I didn't like seeing her like this. Less guarded. A tiny bit more open.

With one promise, I'd made her a little more comfortable. Softer. The universe finally whispered then, warning me how rare this was.

I finally knew something of my 'ward' beyond her lip and toughness. She carried the pain of a horrible life inside her.

Shaken by the suddenly unwanted knowledge, I glanced up to the clock on her wall. Exactly fourty-eight minutes had passed since I'd met this very odd girl.

And something in me was already dying from the curiosity to know it all.

_Like I said, fucked. Think it'll be so easy to keep that promise?_

I knew it wasn't even a question. I didn't have a choice.

Bigger question was, why the hell was I even doubting myself?

The crying sound somehow intensified although, apparently, I was the only one in the room hearing it.


	15. Curiosity's Lure

**Chapter 15**

**Curiosity's Lure**

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***EPOV

She moves.

Like a wraith, haunting yet fragile.

"So...I know you're just supposed to hang around all day and night. How long is that supposed to last anyway? Barring my castration of you when you try something stupid..."

"I won't," I gritted out, meaning it. Watching her as she cleared away our empty mugs and headed out of the kitchen. Feeling a little more than just 'out of place', I slowly got out of my seat. Careful not to breathe, I followed Isabella out into the living room area where she was busy setting up her laptop and what I could only assume were her school books.

"You didn't answer my last question. How long were you 'scheduled' for?" Isabella said, making herself comfortable on her couch. She motioned for me to take a seat on the love seat to the left of her.

The distance between said love seat and couch was not lost on me.

"I'm supposed to stay by your side until Iy'tarias is taken down."

"As in 'killed'?"

"No, we can't kill him. We can only contain him."

"Isn't he still contained?"

Now, I'm wondering why she didn't know this before. Why hadn't one or the others...no, scratch that. It was clear to me that her communication with the ones before me had been minimal. Still, had she never asked Markonius? "Yes."

"Then look what good that's doing. His hold clearly extends far beyond his _containment_."

She is adorable. A word I'd never thought I'd use, but she is nevertheless. Curled up now on her couch, she's still trying to pretend she's so tough.

And suddenly...I... I just...

_I want to know._


	16. The First Hour

**Chapter 16**

**The First Hour**

* * *

***EPOV

The first hour went by in a very weird sort of blur. Early on, _Bella _(as I'd been rudely informed she preferred to be called) had pretty much chugged the remote at me.

Not caring if it hit me in the face.

"Come on, we both know that didn't hurt. Only certain parts of your...anatomy, are vulnerable."

Pain in the ass. Such an odd girl. As right as she was.

I had a hard time holding back my smirk as I imagined this tiny but feisty girl taking advantage of the fact that she'd mentioned.

Until I remembered why she had had to learn said knowledge in the first place. Again, the rage fired through me as my brain twisted and turned, trying to figure out when.

Trying to figure out _how. _

I lifted the remote off my lap, taken by surprise as a realization shot through my brain.

Had she just offered me the choice?

Such a stupid thing.

It hadn't even meant anything to her, I'm sure.

Well...she did get to hit me in the face but she'd known I wasn't going to feel it.

Still, it'd been thousands of years since I'd really been given any type of choice.

**"**I have all the channels, knock yourself out," Bella said, sparing me a glance before returning to her school work.

So I turned on the TV. But behind it I could still hear that annoying whisper.

Pestering.

Bothering me.

Violating the privacy of my own self-will.

_I want to know..._


	17. Want Becomes Need

**Chapter 17**

**Want Becomes Need**

* * *

***EPOV

"So when did you move in here?" I asked, catching even myself by surprise.

Bella looked suspicious at the question. It was a look I was coming to expect from her.

"A few months ago. And this is your room," she said, opening the door.

A room that, which wasn't lost to me, was all the way on the other side of the tiny apartment.

Was that an aspect that she'd taken into consideration when choosing the place?

Why did I even care?

_Because you can guess._

I could. Ten Archs came down before me.

All ten were currently being punished for their crimes against her.

I should've asked Markonius, damn it.

_Why do you want to know so much? Just a human, my friend._

A human with softness in her eyes, deep below her anger and pain. "Well...have a good night. And I'm armed even when I sleep. Keep that in mind," Bella warned, heading past the living room and towards the small hallway leading to her room.

I watched her go, knowing that whatever was eating at me wasn't going to let go.

She was so...fragile looking. Breakable.

Even so, she held on to it with a strength most _Gods _would envy.

The door to her room clicked shut, the flip of the lock following next. Just like that...

_I need to know..._

May the Gods help me, because this time, I planned to find out.


	18. A Losing Battle

**Chapter 18**

**A Losing Battle**

* * *

***EPOV

She was dreaming.

If you could even call it that.

My sensitive hearing picked up every sound. Even the building moving within its foundations. The people still awake and roaming the streets outside.

Her.

I could hear her.

The soft breathing had given way to pants long ago. Even so, I could still sense her alpha and beta waves de-synchronizing. Knew by the ripples of energy in the air that she was trapped.

Was further made sure of the fact when I heard the first whimper.

Being the creature I was, I didn't need to sleep. Could if I wanted to but had decided against it eons ago.**  
**  
Why? To avoid the very same thing tormenting Bella in her room across the apartment.

The nightmares.

I fought with myself. Tossed, turned, and argued with my urges 'till the point that I thought I was going insane.

Then, another whimper. This one followed by a pained, plaintive whine.

My decision was made.

I had the covers off and had flashed myself into her room in one split second.

Simply because...I needed to know.

And the Gods forgive and help me, because I planned to find out.


	19. A Vengeance Born

**Chapter 19**

**A Vengeance Born**

* * *

***EPOV

I touched her shoulder. So light I barely even felt it. Just enough to make the connection.**  
**

When it did, I was trapped. Trapped in her hell with her.**  
**

And I saw _everything._

The nine year old girl who's life had been normal up to the day Iy'tarias' demons came after her.

The child who watched her mother, father, and brother get slain as she hid because of her mother's commands.

Felt every ripple of pain that went through her as the demons devoured her family.

In front of her.

Everything that came after. Markonius coming to her, helping her. Promising to send an Arch to protect her.

And he had. Demotrix.

Demotrix who was monster enough to lust after her even though she was a child.

Demotrix, who fought his hunger for only two years before giving in.**  
**  
Two.

Reeling, I broke the connection, feeling a fury burning in me that I'd never experienced before. I couldn't keep looking in even though a part of me wanted to.

Demotrix was the first. And he wouldn't be the last. I knew for a fact that all ten of those fuckers had ripped from her something precious before exiting her life.

But Demotrix was the first and he took from her something that was only hers. Something that no eleven year old girl should lose.

Because of that, he'd be the first one to die.


	20. Curdling Rage

**Chapter 20 **

**Curdling Rage**

* * *

***EPOV

I trail my fingers through the slim that is supposed to be a wall in this place.

Deep. I'm deep into the lower level of Tartarus.

A place I have no right being.

A place _she _could find me in, if I'm not careful. She'd drag me back and keep me for God knows how long.

The protective shield I'd left around Bella would only hold for a certain amount of time.

Her name pierced my brain.

I inhaled, the putrid smells nothing compared to what I felt in my gut.

Slow, calculated steps.

A click of my tongue here or there.

Either way, the fucker knew I was coming. I could sense it.

"Oh, Demotrix..." I let my voice echo out hauntingly, just for the fuck of it.

Heard the movement at the far end of the cave. The shuffle. The sulfur and decay stenched air ignited with his fear.

Somehow, he knew why I'd come. That I planned to rain upon him the type of pain not even Hades had dealt to him, yet.

After that, the ultimate death.

"Fuck you, asshole!" he spat, his hazel eyes gaunt and wide. "You're no better! You'll see just how irresistible she i..."

"DON'T YOU EVER MENTION HER AGAIN," I growled, holding his head still and ripping out his tongue.


	21. To Bathe In Blood

**Chapter 21**

**To Bathe In Blood**

* * *

***EPOV

He was whimpering on the floor. At my feet. _Whimpering_.

"Pathetic," I growl, slamming my foot into his face. The sickening crunch is loud. Not nearly enough. I want him wailing in agony for what he did to that girl.

_To Bella._

Angered at the visions tearing through my brain, I slam him down to the floor, stomach first.

I hear his ribs break. Still not enough.

"You. Are. Unfit. To. Live. Understand me?" I snapped, slamming my foot into his back. His spine caved under the weight. What choice did it have? He was fundamentally _so _much weaker than I.

His screams echo through the cavern's walls. Stupid fucker had the nerve to scream out for Hades.  
As if that asshole would dare face me.

Yanking on Demotrix's hair, I pulled on it until his back was bent unnaturally inward. Pressed down harder with my foot and lowered my head closer to his.

Oh, yeah. He could rape an eleven year old girl but in the face of justice, all he does is cry pathetically. I could hear his fucking sniffles. "Now listen carefully," I said. "I'm going to rip your head and spine clear off your body. Got it?" here the bastard had the nerve to try and start begging which only earned him my foot deeper into his back.

I knew that crack would be irreparable.**  
**  
Didn't matter. "And," I continued, standing straight and bracing myself. "I'm going to do it slow enough for you to feel every vertebrae come loose before you die. Ready?"

Rhetorical, really. Pulling back, I slowly tore his head off, his screams dying way before the end of his spine had slid out of where his neck had been.

* * *

**Yeah...I warned you all.**  
**#HornyThanksToPsychoEddie**


	22. Fcuk

**Chapter 22**

**Fcuk**

**(Purposeful miss-spelling here, folks :p)**

* * *

***EPOV

I could feel their calls as I ripped my own way through the dimensions. Heard Markonius calling for my return. My explanation.

Heard the bitch demanding that and so much more.

I ripped through into Earth so violently, my entire mortal body shook at its molecular foundations. When it stopped, I looked around Bella's living room in a panic.

Thankfully, I could hear her still in bed. Hear her still whimpering. The urge to go back into that room slammed into me harder than dimensional travel. Knees weak, I sank to her couch.

Grimaced, too late realizing I was still covered in _his _blood. It belonged nowhere near her things.

Nowhere near _her. _

Using my powers, I set everything instantly to rights.

I sat in the darkness, finally taking in what I had done. Not that I hadn't killed before. I'd killed so many, I could fill the ocean.

What bothered me was why. The rage behind it. Who caused it.

And there were nine other fuckers to go. Yes, I planned on killing them all. The fiercely confusing thing going through me demanded no less.

"Good morning," Bella grumbled, walking out of her room at exactly 5:00 AM. "Geez, don't tell me you've been there all night. What, don't like to sleep?"

"No. Staying awake keeps me away from the nightmares."

I didn't miss the tensing of her spine as she walked into the kitchen. Nor...how adorable she apparently looked in the morning.

_Fcuk._

_Huh?_

_Just shut up._


	23. The First Day

**Chapter 23**

**The First Day**

* * *

***EPOV

"I'm fine here, you can go," the obstinate one argues.

My temper has been grated into the sidewalk one too many times. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm walking you _to_ school and once there, I'm following you _inside_," I said very slowly, so that she could follow."

Her blood always rushes straight to her face when she gets angry. Why was I even noticing that?

_'Cause it's sexy._

No, I fucking didn't.

"Why is that necessary? Seriously? I'm tired of being the rich, 'spoiled' girl who always has a bodyguard following her," Bella huffs.

The air released in the movement caught a strand of her hair, lifting up into the air.

_That's sexy, too._

Since when did I think of anything on this Universe as _sexy_?

_Ahem. Since...I'm pointing. Clue enough?_

Who _the fuck are you?_

"Edward?...Edward?...EDUARDUS!"

"Shut it," I snapped, blinking back to reality.

The little hellion giggled. Fucking giggled.

My blood was turning molten in my system. Soon, the top of my head would pop off, my brains spilling out in melted waves of mush.

'Cause that's what she was turning my brain into.

Mush.

"Fine, follow me. But it's gonna be a pain," she warned, her eyes gleaming with evil intent.

I clenched my jaw, trying to hide back the smirk. I hadn't smirked in..._meh, _you know how long.

Something definitely wasn't right and it was becoming more and more obvious as I followed Bella towards her college.

That would become the least of my worries once we were in the school.

Humanity had sexually degraded back to levels near Roman-status. Debauchery and mental perversion had evolved to a whole new level. Morals were practically gone.

Envy still ran rampant through the bloodstreams of those foul creatures.

And I was about to find all of this out the hard way.


	24. A Spark of Something Odd

**Chapter 24**

**A Spark of Something Odd**

* * *

***EPOV

Markonius was demanding. Apparently, the body had been found before he could hide from Hades what I'd done. Hah. As if that pathetic excuse for Lucifer hadn't heard every single thing as it was taking place.

I ignored Markonius. Didn't even bother trying to make him understand.

I was in a much more dangerous position right now.

One that was seriously starting to look dire.

"Oh my God, Bella! You're new bodyguard is _delish_!"

"Go away, Jess!" Bella snapped, flinging her locker door open.

I moved back, barely avoiding the thing.

Might've hid behind Bella. Somewhat.**  
**  
Shameful it would've been had the _demon _spawn in front of us not warranted the situation.

"But he's so hot!"

"Jessica, go away!" And Bella slammed her locker door closed, her face red. _Jessica, _as the demon was called, stormed away, mumbling something about greedy people.

"You couldn't have been born in the 1700's? 18? When things were more...proper?" I asked, hearing the grumble in my tone.

"It wouldn't have mattered. It was going to be a fucking problem with the women anyway," Bella growled under her breath, storming away.

Something in her face and tone leaving me frozen.

Speechless.**  
**  
What was that? And why the hell was I suffering from a wave of heat?


	25. The Seat in The Back

**Chapter 25**

**The Seat in The Back**

* * *

***EPOV

The professor was as used to seeing Bella with a 'bodyguard' as everyone else was.

He was also used to seeing her sitting in the back with said bodyguard, just as she was now. **  
**  
A strange, pounding fury threatened to roar through me at the thought. Thankfully, an image of Bella and how uncomfortable she'd been near every other bodyguard fluttered through his mind.

It pushed back the insanity.

For that's what it was. I no longer had any doubt.

"Where did you really go last night?" Bella whispered out of no where, causing me to almost jump in my seat.  
**  
**Almost.

Tensed and wary, I turned to stare down at her. Got caught by the length and curve of her lashes.

Blinked when she blinked and almost forgot what the hell I was going to say to her. "Wait. What do you mean? I didn't go anywhere."

"Don't lie to me, Eduardus," she whispered, her eyes deep and eerie. "What did you do last night?"

She knew. It was instant and I knew she knew. "How?" I whispered, keeping a partial part of my senses locked on the rest of the class. On where their attention was. When it became clear Bella was hesitating to answer, I asked again. "How?"

"You killed him. Can't you guess how I know that?" she finally whispered.

I fought to remain calm as fresh rage poured through me anew. I could guess. I could more than guess. I knew. And that made me want to bring that bastard back from the dead and torture him for aeons this time.

How dare he leave any residual mark on her? How dare he taint her to that extent? "I don't fucking regret killing him. I just wish I'd done it slower," I finally whispered, caught in the midst of something I couldn't even begin to understand.

"Thank you," her soft voice rang out, shocking the living fuck out of me.


	26. Why

**Chapter 26**

**Why**

* * *

****BPOV

_"I don't fucking regret killing him. I just wish I'd done it slower." _

He was unlike anything they'd ever sent or shown me before. Stoic, dark...

_Beautiful._

I clamped down on that, confused. Sure, the guy..._thing _next to me was physically gifted. I'd have to be blind not to see that. But they'd all been gorgeous.

_None like him. _And they'd all been pathetic, disgusting demons in disguise.

_He's different. _He'd...killed _for _me. Not because he had to protect me or, like the others before, because he was trying to impress me. **  
**  
"Thank you," I whispered, my mind racing. It was quickly becoming clear to me that I just couldn't seem to tear my eyes _away _from his fucking face.

He was shocked. I could see it. For a moment his eyes flashed from green to hazel, making me gape. It happened so quick I thought I'd almost imagined it, and then they were back to that odd green that seemed to be unrealistic.

"You're...you're _thanking _me?" he whispered.

I tried so hard to ignore how intriguing his voice was. How different. It was tinted with an accent I had definitely never heard before.

"Yes. With him dead, I'm now..."

"Free of his _stain_," he growled lowly, seemingly angry. Angry at what Demotrix had done to me. Markonius had said Edward was the 'real deal' but...

I couldn't help myself. I had to know. Leaning closer, I didn't miss the way he tensed. But it was his scent that had me almost shaking all over again. Just like the hallway.

Pushing it all back I opened my mouth to ask him, too late catching how husky my voice was sounding.

"But...why did you do it?"**  
**


	27. The Danger Is Obvious

**Chapter 27**

**The Danger Is Obvious**

* * *

***EPOV

_"But...why did you do it?"_

That tone. I couldn't tear my awareness away from that tone. I'd heard it from her once before. But not from words spoken from her lips.

_"Why does this feels so good?"_

The memory scorched me. The classroom was too hot. The amount of people around us unbearably annoying and...I couldn't seem to tear my eyes away from her flesh. Specifically, the lips that had just spoken.

_By the Gods...what's happening to me?_

I knew. I actually knew. I just couldn't bring myself to...I...

"Edward?" she asked, her voice steadier this time as she looked up at me.

I turned from Bella, sensing the intention of that Jessica-demon right before it turned.

The envy coming off the thing actually made me shrink back a bit. This wasn't lost on Bella, who was staring at my moving body with an eyebrow raised.

"Scares you, doesn't she?" she asked, that eyebrow still up there.

I had the ridiculous urge to manually force it down. "Very little scares me...but yes. That thing does," I admitted grudgingly, wanting to actually shiver in revulsion as Jessica-demon's loud thoughts shot at me.

Bella laughed under her breath, the sound short.

Suddenly, nothing mattered but that sound. The heat it caused.

Fuck, I had no choice. As soon as I could, I was going to have to heed Markonius' calls to speak to him. I needed fucking answers.

And a freaking break before the tight band stretching inside me snapped. Because I knew what I was going to do if it did.

Boy, did I fucking know.

**Follow me on Twitter (at Nyddi) for once daily #GEN Teasers xoxo**


	28. Soon to be victim 2

**Chapter 28**

**Soon to be victim 2**

**(AKA: Mike Newton )**

* * *

***EPOV

"You're going to eat," Bella huffed authoritatively, her brow tense.

I ground my teeth, trying to keep myself calm as I watched Bella pile her tray full of food I know she had every intention of forcing on me.

The problem is, I'd been forced to do enough things in my life. Anyone pushing me to that level...

Bella shoved me back slightly, her touch searing my arm and her hand heading straight for another sandwich. Her thoughts doing worse to my head.

I stepped back, shocked at what was behind her bossiness. Shocked that she really was..._worried_ that _I _eat.

No one had worried about me like that in centuries.

No one.

"IF I agree to eat that disgusting sludge this place considers food, you have to do something for me," I grudgingly grumbled, rubbing at my still tingling arm and trying to ignore the screams from the cafeteria minds.

Why the fuck were humans so horny?

_They probably all feel about each other the way you feel about _her.

Good point.

"What?" Bella asked, stopping and giving me an unnerving stare.

I forced myself not to look away and to ignore how the light played in those depths. "You need to keep that thing away from me," I said, crossing my arms and motioning with my head towards Jessica-demon.

"You mean Jessica?" Bella asked. When I nodded my head the girl smirked, trying to unsuccessfully hide it by turning her head away. "Of course. But you eat," she responded, the smile still clear in her voice.

I don't know why, but hearing it did something to me that had nothing to do with anger or annoyance. It almost...calmed me. For about a minute, that is. Because the moment we sat at the table next to the demon and her friends, it was one boy's envious thoughts that slapped through me.

And left me with no doubt as to whom I just might kill next.

**Find me on Twitter (at Nyddi) for once daily #GEN teasers xx**


	29. Jessicademon and The Mikeslug

**Chapter 29**

**Jessica-demon and The Mike-slug**

* * *

***EPOV

"_Who the fuck is that? Her new bodyguard? No fucking way. She always hates her bodyguards. Why the fuck does she look so happy with this one?"_

And what I wanted to know was...WHAT FUCKING BUSINESS OF _HIS _WAS IT?

"Edward?"

Her voice was small. Clearly, she could tell something was _very _wrong with me.

_It's been too long, _my own mind whispered, trying to escape the barrage of thoughts and emotions that were coming at me from all sides. _You're no longer used to dealing with this..._

It was true. I could already feel the tingling at the back of my spine. The monster whispering. The need to jump off the damned table and straight unto the slug who was having possessive thoughts about Bella!

"Edward!" Bella whispered, trying to get my attention.

_"Oh, Gawd. I'd love to just shove him away from her and drop to my knees. The things I would do to that man's cock..."_

I hissed, trying to block out the demon's thoughts, as well. She was disgusting and the images going through her head...

Bella's hand landed on mine. Instantly, her soft voice and genuine concern drowned everything out.

It should've helped. Instead, I felt the grind getting stronger. My nerves growing tighter...

_Her... _something whispered. Demanded. Stretched and reached out... _The one who's touching me..._

What the fuck was that?

"Edward, we need to get you out of here."

Sadly, I couldn't have agreed with her more.

**Find me on Twitter (at Nyddi) for once daily #GEN teasers.**


	30. Stranded

**Chapter 30**

**Stranded**

* * *

****EPOV

Four hours. I'd been trying to rip my way back through the dimensions for four hours.

For the first time in my long memory of being an Arch, I was _locked _out.**  
**  
Stranded.

Markonius had gone silent.

_What the fuck is going on?_

My powers were still intact. That much I had proven when I'd returned and torn apart a good portion of the forest. Right before I reverted it back. Just to prove that I still could.

But if my powers were still intact and I couldn't get fucking back, what the fuck did it mean?

Even worse, what the hell were the symptoms going through me?

Now, more than ever, I hated the fact that the Universe only spoke to me when it was convenient.

Something was coming. Something was happening. And it was all revolving around that girl.

I knew it.

I paced back and forth in the room she had given me, trying to come up with my next plan of action.

Suddenly, a soft knock sounded on the door, bringing said pacing to an instant halt.

Because I knew who was on the other side. Could smell that scent even through the door.

And _something _was still whispering inside me. Something below the monster. Something more dangerous. I debated ignoring her knock when it sounded again.

I knew I had no choice.

I was going to have to let Bella in.

Question was, what exactly did that mean?


	31. The First Sign of Red

**Chapter 31**

**The First Sign of Red**

* * *

***EPOV

"Come in."

I held my breath after those words left my mouth. Stood up straight and tried to pretend nothing was happening while I watched the door slowly swing inward. Bella walked in slowly, her steps hesitant.

Again, she was given me a glimpse of an adorably shy creature that was so at odds with the rest of her psyche.

"Is everything alright?" she asked softly, her eyes looking around the room cautiously.

"What would make you think anything is wrong?" I asked, not moving as she slowly walked further into the room.

"Well, you were gone for hours, I figured you had gone to Markonius," she answered, her eyes landing on me.

Damn it, I'd thought she had been sleeping. Seriously, the girl had looked exhausted when we'd gotten back around 2PM. I'd assumed she would sleep the rest of the evening away...Suddenly, my eyes fell to the small bundle she was hugging to her chest. "What's that?" I asked, nodding towards it.

Bella's skin did an automatic switch, blossoming from peach straight into red.

I think my mouth might've fallen open.

Not sure. Just know that the sight of someone's blood coloring their skin had never fascinated me so.

_Stop being a fool, you know what this means._

Didn't even have a chance to answer myself. Bella finally answered my question, her chin tucked in towards her chest. "They're sleeping pants and a change of clothes. I went out and bought them for you."

Wait. She went out and bought something for _me_?

Something fell out of chest. I felt it.

**Follow me on Twitter (at Nyddi) for once daily #GEN teasers.**


	32. To Worry Is To Care

**Chapter 32**

**To Worry Is To Care**

* * *

***EPOV

**"**_They're sleeping pants and a change of clothes. I went out and bought them for you."_

_Wait._

_She went out and bought something for _me_?_

_Something fell out of my chest. I felt it._

No, wait. Ignore that. She went out alone? "You went out to the store by yourself?" I asked, my voice snapping from the anxiety coursing through me. And it was. I couldn't even try to deny it to myself. The thought of her out there without protection for even a minute had me fucking _worried._

"Well...yeah," Bella answered, a spark of her typical stubbornness coming through. "It felt kind of nice to be out on my own for once."

Something snapped within me. Without even thinking about it, I started towards her. "Bella, are you insane? Iy'tarias is growing stronger and so is his army. You could've been hurt," I said, reaching up and cupping her face once I was near her.**  
**  
We both froze instantly. My first thought was 'what a mistake that was.' Of how she'd been touched against her will in her life. I expected nothing but her fear to shoot through me once I heard her thoughts.

But shockingly, she wasn't afraid of me.

It shocked us both.

I tried to fight back the urge to breath as how soft her skin was began penetrating through my mind. At her confused but gentle thoughts. It was her who pulled away first, eyes blinking rapidly as she looked at the ground. And got redder.

What was wrong with me?

_You're worried. Don't you know already what that means?_

_Uhh..._

_To worry is to care...Moron._

For the millionth time: fuck.


	33. Precipice

**Chapter 33**

**Precipice**

* * *

***EPOV

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

"I...you were gone for hours. Nothing happened..."

"But it could've," I said, agitated. The chemicals firing off in my brain were foreign to me for so many reasons. The confinement of being in a denser body pressed in on me. Made it harder for me to shift through the emotions and remain calm.

"Well, it didn't. And I figured you needed something to sleep in."

It was like a hammer coming down on my insides. Her voice. Her concern. Touched more than I should've been, I held my hand out for the clothing she was holding.

Bella passed me the clothing quickly, her hand brushing against my own. I tried to catch on to her hurried thoughts but was unable to.

"Thank you," I said once the clothing was in my hands. "I can conjure my own clothing but thank you."

Bella's eyebrows shot up at that and for the first time since I met her, she looked surprised.

"Huh. You really are different," she remarked before turning around and heading for the door. She was in a hurry, which wasn't lost on me, nor was how pink her cheeks had gotten at my thanks.

"Edward," she said softly, stopping before closing the door. "You really are. Different, that is."**  
**  
And she closed the door, leaving me there throbbing, aching, and wondering what the hell was I going to do on the morrow if I couldn't get in touch with Markonius.

Little did I know, that would end up being the _least _of my problems.

Something worse was heading my way and I was in no way prepared to deal with it.

None.

**Things are about to get crazier. Just hope you can all hang along for the ride ^_~**

**Find me on Twitter for once daily #GEN Teasers.**


	34. The Dream Gods

**Chapter 34**

**The Dream Gods**

* * *

***EPOV

Humanity is aware of many realms.

Many more, they relegate to nothing but fantasy. Imagination. Chemicals firing off in their brains that create fake worlds that they can still view.

I'd always found humanity's ability for self-denial hilarious. How they could see something with their eyes and deny it.

Or, in the case of dreams, their mind's eye.

When will they learn? Just because something they see can't be explained, it doesn't mean it's not real.

I'd thought I understood this. That I understood the realm of dreams.

And I do. I understand and I know the one's who watch over it.

The dream gods that are in charge of watching and guiding the subconscious of all the living beings in the universe. Not just the humans.

Greek mythology called them the Oneroi. Other cultures gave them many different names. At the end of the day, most were my allies. My brothers-in-arms in this fight against evil.

So imagine my surprise that night when I allowed myself to fall asleep only to come face to face with one of them.

Greco.

And the first words he spoke let me know just how much more fucked I was about to be.

_"It's your turn, Eduardus. I'm here to guide you towards the thing you want the most...whether you're ready for it not."_


	35. The Meaning Of No Choice

**Chapter 35**

**The Meaning Of "No Choice"**

* * *

***EPOV

"Greco, what the fuck?" I ask, hearing my voice echo in the nothingness between the realms.

"I'm sorry, Eduardus, but this is your fate."

"What is?"

But somehow...something in me knows. After all, he's here and I know damned well why he would be.

It has to do with _her._

"You know I'm only sent out when I have to guide..."

"_Dux Ducis. _I am aware of what you do and we both know that. But what the fuck do you think you're here to lead me to? It better be to my freedom from my predicament back home, Greco..." And there's rage behind my words. Because _trust _me, something in me is still screaming.

Screaming that it knows.**  
**  
Screaming that it _wants_.

"We both know what it's about."

_Bella._

He steps out into my eyesight finally, his voice splitting and echoing just like the color in his eyes. Blue and silver fighting for dominance, the never ending swirls disconcerting to those who'd never seen them before. His own wings spread out behind him, almost as large as mine and just as dark in color.**  
**  
They had sent one of their elite to me.

"Do I have no choice?" I growled, staring off into space as I felt the heaviness of inevitability slamming on me.

"No. We both know that, too. I wouldn't be here if you did. Now come, Eduardus, it's time you get to know the reality that she hides. This is the only way."

_**Dux Ducis – Guide (Amongst other definitions)**_


	36. The Humour In It All

**Chapter 36**

**The Humour In It All**

* * *

***EPOV

"I'm serious, Greco. This is all fucked up."

"You know...I never imagined _you'd _be this _vocal _in your complaints. I'm truly surprised."

"What the fuck does that mean? Why am I being tested like this?"

"You're the one choosing to see it as test."

"What else could it be?"**  
**  
And I want to punch his face. Because he doesn't answer. Because his face looks way too _amused._

I want to wake myself up but know that it's useless. I made the mistake of going to sleep. Now, I would be stuck here until _he _saw fit to let me out.

Nothing is said while he leads me through the darkness and out into what I could only assume is Isabella's dream realm.

"It's wrong," I say, seeing the forests that appeared around us starting to thin. "I shouldn't be here."

"If only you could truly appreciate how _wrong _that statement is."

"What?"

But he doesn't answer.**  
**  
And suddenly, I don't really care. We've broken through the forests and a sprawling, beautiful mansion has come into view.

It isn't the house that has me in awe. No.

It's the vision in white running across the yard, her laughter suddenly shooting through my mind.

"Irony, my friend," Greco says, his voice echoing as he disappeared. "Remember that."


	37. Intruder

**Chapter 37**

**Intruder**

* * *

***EPOV

She's already inside the house.

I'm hesitating outside.

She doesn't know I'm here, yet.

More than ever...more than the moment I touched her when she was asleep, I felt like an invader.

An unwanted intruder.

At the same time, I was nervous. Very nervous of what lay inside.

Afraid of what more I was going to learn.

I already cared too much, damn it.

But they knew that.

It felt like there were setting me up to fail.

To fall.

"Are you coming in or not?"

Shocked to all hell, I stumbled back and looked up, catching a glimpse of those fiery eyes staring at me. She was standing out on the first floor balcony, arms crossed, the white dress falling in gossamer waves around her.

So much for her not knowing I was here.

_Still, _something in the air whispered, its voice foreign. _She will not be the same Isabella you know._

I would find that out the hard way.

Trust me.


	38. Not Completely Human

**Chapter 38**

**Not Completely Human**

* * *

***EPOV

I'm still hesitating. She's still scowling. "Isabella..." I begin, forgetting how much she hates that.

Her brow tensed. Her eyes are watching my every move. Then..."I shouldn't be surprised you're here," she said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

I scowl, wondering exactly what that means.

"Come on in, will you?" Bella asks, turning and walking back into the mansion.

I finally follow, but my steps are slow. My brain is not. It fires off question after question, effectively making it harder for me to concentrate on what's going on.

I've stepped into the foyer when Bella flashes before me, surprising me and making me gape.

"What?" she asks, shrugging delicately. "It's my dream, I can do whatever I want. And why do you even look surprised? Usually the characters in my dreams are more...zombie'd-out. What's with all the expression?" And she's waving her fingers in my face.

"_She thinks you're part of the dream," _Greco whispers.

_Oh, great. So I'm supposed to act like a zombie now?_

"_No. You're supposed to let her think she's just dreaming, like always. It's the only way you're going to get her to trust you."_

_Why do I need to get her to trust me?_

"_Because, Eduardus, the amount of hate inside her will surely be the end of this world even if we manage to stop Iy'tarias. I cannot tell you what she is without it causing a problem. You have to get _her _to tell you. She might not know it while awake but her subconscious is aware. Her subconscious will show you."_

_Wait...just _what _is she?_

"_Not completely human, my friend. She_ never _was. Now chop-chop. You have only a few hours before morning."_

Asshole...


	39. Black Ballet Shoes

**Chapter 39**

**Black Ballet Shoes**

* * *

***EPOV

I've convinced Bella that I am part of her dream. Simply by remaining quiet at most times, the girl is now under the belief that I am just an image haunting her dream world.

Her words, not mine, and they make me wonder once again why she would expect _me _to be here in the first place.

"Well...I'm bored," Bella said, twirling once inside the foyer. Her white skirt flows out to swirl around her legs...I am caught by surprise at the black ballet shoes I see on her feet.

"What do you want to do?" she asks, stopping her spinning and landing effortlessly on her feet.

I want to ask a million questions, that's what I want to do. But I know that I can't. So I settle for just one.

"Hello? I give you permission to speak," Bella continues, appearing in front of me again and waving her hand in my face.

I take a step back, causing her to do the same. The edges of her skirt lift up hauntingly. Enticingly. I am afforded a glimpse of her tiny feet and those shoes again.

"A tour," I said, so many questions going through my head that the most I can do is say those two words.

Bella has settled back on her feet, her long hair falling down her shoulders as she tilts her head and looks at me.

Then, with a shrug, she whirls back around and begins effortlessly skipping off deeper into the house.

"Some rooms we can't go into, but you already know that since you're part of my dream. Come, I'll walk you through the cool ones. The other rooms suck anyway."

I don't know jack shit and this happier, _dancing _version of Bella is disconcerting. I only knew the girl for less than a week but already, this was too out of character for me to know what to do with.

Still, until either of us woke up, I was stuck doing as both Greco and her wanted.

One thing I can tell you for sure. As soon as I woke up, I was doing two things. One, never going to sleep again. And two, I was going to get to the bottom of just what exactly was going on.


	40. The First Door Off Limits

**Chapter 40**

**The First Door Off Limits**

* * *

***EPOV

My God, she is actually very chatty in this realm. And fast. Like a sugar-high nymph, she's taken me on a whirlwind tour of the lower level of the house. It's huge and obviously extremely old. I ask her if this is where she lived as a child. Surprisingly, she answers me, even though she is still under the impression that I am only part of the dream.

"Yes. It was handed down for generations in my family."

"Do you still own it?" I ask, rushing to get in as many questions as I can before she gets suspicious again.

But she's talkative. Almost calm. Answered me without any hesitation, her small shoulder rising in a shrug that made the small strap of her dress slip. "I do. But I can't bare to be here when I'm awake," she mumbled, completely unaware of the fact that I've frozen behind her.

I'm fighting the sickest feeling I've ever had. A hot, demanding one that has me fixated on the skin her dress left exposed. It's just a shoulder but to every part of me that is apparently still a _man_, it's so much more.

I feel like a bull staring straight into blood-red fabric.

The thought hits me like the weight of a freight train. I am no different than they were. Demotrix had been right. I'd known I was attracted to her but what was happening to me was so much worse. I was just as tempted and just as enthralled by her and I couldn't figure out why.

_She's enchanting, that's why._

"You coming?" she stops to ask, looking at me over her shoulder with a look that is very familiar. She's looking at me like she thinks I'm an idiot. It is such a 'typical' Bella look that it takes everything in me not to smile.

I look around, desperate for an excuse that doesn't involve me confessing why I was half-paralyzed.

My eyes land on a large, double door, the handles made of intricate gold filigree. "What's behind that door?" I ask, expecting her not to answer.

"We can never, _ever _go in there. That's where _it _happened."


	41. Not The Same

**Chapter 41**

**Not The Same**

* * *

***EPOV

I freeze, losing touch with reality. Because it wasn't Bella's voice that had answered me. It was a small voice. A scared voice.

A child's voice.

I whirl around, the reality of the dream actually spinning before my eyes as I do so. When my eyes settle, I fly back. Land against the door.

"No!" the little _girl _cries, holding her hand out. She looks no older than nine.

I am fixated by her eyes. I _know _those eyes...I know. I know instantly who she is and yet I cannot contain the panic. I closed my eyes and braced myself, expecting myself to react just like _them. _Expecting to need _her_, even like that. Nothing happens. I wait...and I wait...

"Edward?"

Her voice is so small. I open my eyes and am met with the most adorable little creature I've ever seen in my life. It wasn't lost on me how protective I still felt of her. Perhaps even more so. Looking at her like this...knowing what he did...I need to distract myself. Fast.

"Isabella?"

"I told you I hate that name," she says, crossing her smalls arms and pouting angrily.

I want to hide my relief but I can't. I smile, knowing that I was relieved for more than one reason.

_"See?_" Greco asked, his voice invading my mind. _"You're not completely the same."_

_Oh, gee. Thanks. Nice compliment._

_"I try."_

I ignore him, focusing on Bella. "Bella...why can't we go in this door?" I ask softly, kneeling down to her level but not moving towards her. She's looking at the door with wide, frightened eyes. I can see the tears building. Need to stop them but can't if she doesn't tell me. "Why can't we go?"

"I told you! That's where it happened! That's where the demons killed my family!" she screams, taking off at a dead run down the hall.


	42. Dream Collapse

**Chapter 42**

**Dream Collapse**

* * *

*******EPOV

It took me only a few seconds to realize the difference between the child and the woman in terms to response.

Mainly, the one she caused in me. The woman threatened everything I stood for, pushing me and leaving me tethering on a rope that was about to break.

'Falling' for a creature like me was quite literal and the punishment that followed right after...

I would know. I'd lost two of my closest friends and allies to that very thing. Yes, my life was hell now but it was nothing compared to what they'd do to me if given the chance. Fuck, they might even give me to that bitch excuse for a Goddess, leaving me trapped in her childish grasp for eternity.

Point is, Bella as a woman threatened many, many things.

But the child was only breaking my heart.

I chased her down the halls, eventually catching up with her inside a bedroom on the upper level. She didn't run once inside, just fell into a sitting position next to the bed.

She wrapped her arms around herself again. I moved closer, trying to ignore how much my heart was breaking at the sight she made. Trying to ignore the murderous rage that was demanding _more _blood.

"Bella?"

"I can never go in that room, Edward. I just can't," she whimpered, her large eyes frozen on the floor.

"Why, Bella?" I asked as softly as I could.

"Because that's where they all died. My parents...my brother...they're all gone and that's where it happened. The demons came after us. Cornered us in that room. I was forced to hide and watch as they..."

I freeze, those words splitting and echoing in the air. I know now that I need to get into that room at all costs but I don't have the time. The dream is collapsing, the reality of it fading.  
**  
**"_You'll be back,"_Greco assures, although why he would think that's an assurance I do not know.

And just like that, the world around us rips apart, the resulting roar shocking me awake.


	43. Freeze

**Chapter 43**

**Freeze**

* * *

***EPOV

My eyes open for the first time in centuries, the vestiges of sleep whispering through my mind. They are, however, the last thing I am focused on. In a rush, all the memories of the dream come back to me, each one slapping me across the face before retreating into the back of my mind.I am enraged. Livid. In disbelief. Horrified. Even worse, I heard the moment Bella began to wake. Heard the whimper that was followed shortly by a gasp...I started flashing myself into her room before I noticed what the hell I was doing. Barely caught myself right after de-materializing. I managed to slam myself to a stand still right in her living when I say slam, I mean it. My entire body condensed back into solid form as I was moving at what was probably thirty thousand miles per second. The amount of effort I had to put into stopping myself slammed me upwards, my back denting the ceiling. Thank God we were on the last floor.I was still up there when the door to Bella's room opened. I should have moved but I was still trying to stop my brain from spinning. It took me a few seconds to even make out Bella's form as she walked out.**  
**  
She stopped. Craned her neck back and stared up at me with wide eyes. Eyes that were slowly taking on a purely 'what-the-fuck' type of quality. I was just about to peel myself off that ceiling when it happened.**  
**  
She laughed. A full bodied, beautiful laugh and for the first time in this life, I was knocked completely off kilter. My heart panicked within me, struggling like a human's would for air. But it wasn't air I wanted. I knew that now. Bella was laughing and clutching at her stomach and all I could feel was the awe literally pounding through my a flash, I landed on my feet in a crouch. Raised my head and stared up at her. Her hand was covering her mouth as she bent over, hair falling in long loose strands.

I was still crouching and staring up at her, unable to move. She finally realized. Froze and looked down at me with a that had nothing to do with fear.

I think that was the moment I knew. The moment I finally began to admit to myself that that girl had somehow worked her way through thousands of years' worth of defenses.

Think that was the moment I knew I no longer had any choice in the matter.

I had fallen.

And it was only a matter of time before I made it 'official'.


	44. Respond

**Chapter 44**

**Respond**

* * *

***BPOV

My dream is still rattling through my mind. I can't even function passed the realization. Can't believe what's happening to me. I'm too confused by memories that torment in every way and thanks to that I almost didn't realize there was a big form stuck to my ceiling. **  
**  
Pure fear raced through me for a split second. Until I realized what, or to put it more correctly, _who _it was. I didn't even stop to wonder what the hell he was doing stuck to my ceiling like that. It was too funny. Before I could stop myself, I was laughing, surprised at how good it felt.

I hadn't laughed like this in a while.

A small swishing sound whispered through the air, right before a blur slashed across my line of sight, flying straight off the ceiling and landing on the floor. My laughter immediately stopped, echoing off into silence.

No, bullshit. There wasn't silence. The heavy sounds of our breathing punctuated the air. Edward had landed in a crouch in front of me, one hand on the ground, his eyes unblinking. That's cool, though, because in that moment, I couldn't really blink, either. Come to think of it, breathing was refusing to start at that point as well. He looked too...animalistic like that. Too perfect. But that wasn't something new.

Something else about him was. There was something very different about the way he was looking up at me.

My instincts recognized what they sensed in Edward. Knew that the energy rippling off every inch of him was predatorial. Dangerous.

History had taught me to be afraid and disgusted whenever I sensed something like that. History, however, was currently being proven wrong and even though I'd never felt it before, I knew damned well what was happening to me.

Especially as I watched Edward _slowly _stand up. Even worse, his eyes told me that he, too, knew damned well what was happening to me. I took one step back and swallowed nervously, pointing lamely over my shoulder at the kitchen.

In my defense, I was desperate to put some space between us before one of us snapped. The fact I considered myself in that equation made it even worse.

"Umm...want to help me with breakfast?"


	45. Breakfast? Or More?

**Chapter 45**

**Breakfast? Or More?**

* * *

***EPOV

_Ignore it. Ignore the way she trembles, _I plead with myself, desperately fighting the urge to inhale. Her pupils are dilated; cheeks pink from nerves. I know enough to recognize the signs, but for the sake of my dwindling sanity I try to ignore them. "I haven't cooked in a long time..." I start, using every ounce of concentration in me to not breathe.

"But you used to once?" Bella asks, eyes too wide. Too curious. The sunlight in the room is catching on the specks of warm brown, causing them to fuck with me further. I clenched my fists, hating myself and my weakness. Wishing there was a way out and knowing there was no way I'd abandon Bella nor leave the fate of the world dangling off the edge of uncertainty.

Not that it wasn't there already. I inhaled, forcing myself to look away from her. Nodded curtly, not trusting myself to do anything else. Bella stayed quiet for a few seconds. I can see her looking at me out of the corner of my eye.

"Ok...this should be interesting," Bella mumbled, rubbing her hands together and turning to walk towards the kitchen. It takes me another few seconds to move. Cautiously, I approach the entryway to the kitchen, hearing Bella already moving around inside. "How long has it been since you cooked?"

"Centuries," I mumbled, eyeing the pan in her hand. Bella paused, throwing me a look over her shoulder that I couldn't quite decipher.

"Fine, you can just do the slicing." She meant it, too. I could tell thanks to the cutting board and knife she placed on the counter. I was two seconds away from turning around and saying 'fuck that' when I felt the universe finally whisper to me. And, of course, it was asking me to do the very thing she had just asked me to do.

_Fine, let's see where this leads. Fucking sigh._

_Hey, at least you're no longer bored._

No. But I was horny as hell and had no idea how I was about to survive the next few moments of my life.

_Admittance. See? We're already making progress!_


	46. Tit For Tat

**Chapter 46**

**Tit For Tat**

* * *

***EPOV

"Here. Just slice this onion...you do know how to slice an onion, right?"

I stare at her, trying to fight back my annoyance. "The question isn't if I can, it's if I _want _to," I said, eyeing the knife in my hand. I was contemplating how I was going to get out of this one, when Bella giggled next to me, the sound slamming through me and making my head shoot up.

"Come on," she said, her voice playful and uncharacteristic. "Don't be such a grump. When was the last time you cooked? Really?"

"I was what you would call 'eighteen'," I admitted, barely stopping myself from adding, '_right before I died.' _But the words seemed to hang in the air regardless. Not that I remembered much of that day at this point. Just bits and pieces. Bella's eyes penetrated, silent and deep and too fucking wise for their age.

"And when exactly was that?" Bella finally asked, moving past me to open the fridge.

I almost didn't answer her. Talking about my past was a definite 'no' on most occasions. Except Bella had turned to look at me, a bag of onions in her hand and eyes that were going to eventually cost me everything. It was suddenly clear to me then.

There was definitely curiosity in her dark eyes but also something else. Something that I couldn't decipher.

_She's trying to see if she can trust you..._

The knowledge hit like it always does, violent and out of nowhere. The answer the universe finally gave me set my teeth to grinding because I knew this wasn't going to be easy. This would very much be a 'tit for tat'. "It was long before humanity's recorded history," I finally answered.

"Just how long?"

"Ten thousand years. Give or take."


	47. AllConsuming and Relentless

**Chapter 47**

**All-Consuming and Relentless**

* * *

***EPOV

The onions fall to the floor. Bella blinks, looking utterly confused...

"Oh!" she gasped, her expression turning adorably flustered. She ducked down, frantically trying to gather the onions that had rolled out of the bag.

I knelt down to help, holding one out to her. Cheeks bright and pink, Bella took it, her fingers (as always, it seems) brushing against mine.

Her thoughts almost putting me right through the wall.

_"Ten thousand? _Ten_? How? Looking that gorgeous? Holy shit, that is one hot, sexy...oh my God! BELLA, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? SHUT UP!"_

I pulled back, heart hammering. Cut off the panicked rambling going through her mind. Chest heaving, I bit down on my tongue and fought the impulses blasting my insides. The flash of an image that went through my head in which I had her naked and pressed against one of the counters, my body ruthless behind her.

"I'm sorry," Bella said, depositing the onions on the counter. "You just caught me off...wow. Just wow. I mean...ok, I'm just going to stay shut. Here, Ancient One, start slicing. No way you can be _that _old and not know how to use a knife."

The oddest thing happened right then as she handed me back the knife. I barked out a laugh. The sound was loud. Rough from eons of non-use and it caught me completely by surprise.

It surprised Bella, too, if the look on her face was any indication. But as she walked passed me with the eggs, it was the small smile on her face that caught my attention.

I tried to fight back the feelings inside me. Was still horribly disgusted that I couldn't, even as a part of me understood it was truly inevitable. Either way, I felt absurdly proud of myself for making her smile like that. When there were a million reasons why I shouldn't have been.

_At least we're finally getting somewhere with her._

It would seem so.


	48. The Reason

**Chapter 48**

**The Reason**

* * *

***EPOV

"So, you were actually born _before _the invention of writing?" Bella asked, placing our empty dishes inside the sink.

I was full in a way that I didn't remember ever being. Bella had forced four full plates on me when I'd confessed how long it'd been since I actually ate. Not that I was complaining at the time, the woman's food was even better than her damned tea.

"Before the known invention of writing, yes," I answered, eyes frozen on her neck. She'd pinned her hair up while we were eating and thanks to that, my concentration was ruined. Barely functioning enough for me to speak, let alone look away.

"People were inventing and using symbols for a long time before that..." I trailed off mid-explanation, my eyes so stuck on the curve of her neck that I didn't even notice Bella had turned until her eyes clashed with mine.

I swallowed feeling like the sensations going through me were actually leaking into the air. Staining it. Obviously infecting the poor girl in front of me with emotions that had no right being inside her.

_"And who are you to decide that?"_

Caught off guard by Greco's voice and its sudden appearance in my head, I almost didn't catch onto his meaning.

Almost.

When I did, it was like all the voices in the universe fell in on my head at once.

The reason why. Why I was being given no choice in the matter. Why it had all come down to this.

I...I was meant for this. This...this...

_"You are her destiny, she is yours. This is why _you _died."_


	49. Destiny

**Chapter 49**

**Destiny**

* * *

***EPOV

"Edward?"

Her voice...fuck, _her _voice sounds so close and yet so far...

"Edward? Are you ok?"

My eyes have rolled into the back of my head. I can hear her, partially see her, but the Universal mind was flooding me, knowledge shooting at me from all sides. Knowledge I wasn't ready to face. Knowledge I had every fucking reason to fear.

_"You forgot about one thing, Eduardus. Destiny. We all have one, my friend..."_

I'm shaking. Trying to block out Greco and everything else shooting at me. The forgotten memories of a childhood thousands of years passed. The subtle hints..._her _face...The child...

I fall backwards, hitting the fridge. Bella cries out my name, but I can barely keep myself here with her let alone respond. The force of the energy coursing through me shakes everything.

I know she can see it. Know she can see my very being flashing between the solid and ethereal form.

But it's the least of my worries. Because I remember now.

I see it exactly as it'd happened. Time had eclipsed and blurred the memory. Or so I thought. In reality, I now knew it'd been partially hidden from me.

Because it was my destiny.

And in my head, all I see is the small child I died to protect.

The child with the big, brown and frightened eyes.


	50. Definitely Inevitable

**Chapter 50**

**Definitely Inevitable**

* * *

***EPOV

She jumps in front of me. Slams her small body literally into mine. I hit the fridge mid-seizure, my body freezing under the sudden deluge of fire I was under.

"Edward, look at me! Look at me!"

My unseeing eyes fly open. I hear her gasp. It's nothing compared to the roaring I can feel building inside. The universe is still very much 'attacking' me. I couldn't see anything but the images it was superimposing upon my mind.

Still, I feel every inch of her. I smell her and it leaks down to my lowest cellular level.

There's no fear of me attacking her although I admit I very much want to. I can't move. Can't even speak. My body has been grounded and frozen to the point that it went from being unstable to being immovable.

And the girl still wouldn't move away.

"Tell me you're ok. Speak to me. Edward, whatever was just happening to you looked fucking scary," Bella pleaded, her voice catching.

I inhale.

The deluge of memories begins to rush back, leaving room for my awareness to fully center on what is happening.

On the girl in front of me. A girl who's scent is absolutely mouthwatering to me.

"Edward?"

I can't take it. Weak and disturbed by the things I knew, I'm unable to hold myself back. Before I can even think about what I'm doing, I'm doing it, and next thing I know, I have her tight in my arms.

Fucked up part about it? Bella hugged me back.


	51. Everything

**Chapter 51**

**Everything**

* * *

***BPOV

My entire life disappeared. Every pain. Every trauma.

Everything was swept away. First by the fear and concern that had overcome me. I had no idea what the hell was happening to Edward, only that I just knew I was seconds away from losing him to something.

I could feel it.

Feeling it scared me. More than it should've.

I was crystal.

Clear.

I couldn't bare the idea of him leaving.

Disappearing.

As he seemed on the verge of doing right now.

I saw his form flicker, the door of the fridge becoming visible through his outline. Didn't even stop to think. I just jumped in front of him and managed to 'catch' him by simply grabbing onto his neck. It managed to slow down whatever was happening to him. Made me think for a second that everything was going to be alright.

Until he opened his eyes, the swirling red irises shocking me. Still, as afraid as I was I couldn't pull back. Couldn't let him go. Could do nothing but gasp as his arms snapped tight and almost painful around me.

That was the moment it all disappeared.

I became lost.

Trapped by heat, muscle and a scent that made my entire body weak.

Now, it was me that was shaking as I wrapped my arms around him. Held on as tight as I could while my very foundations shifted.

"I...I remember," Edward whispered shakily in my ear. "I remember _everything._"

I swallowed, trying to simply _breathe _past the pounding in my blood.

Speak long enough to ask him what the hell he meant...when the sounds of metal screeching and human screams tore us apart.

Just in time for me to turn and see my entire living room wall being ripped off.

And that was only the beginning.


	52. It All Leads To This

**Chapter 52**

**It All Leads To This**

* * *

***BPOV

The air is hitting my face. I wish I could say that was the only thing I felt. I couldn't even make sense of what I was seeing.

"Bella!" I heard Edward scream behind me.

That was the moment I realized I'd ran out of the kitchen. That I was standing in my living room, looking out over the city through the hole in the wall.

A hole that wasn't just in my wall.

The entire side of my building had been ripped off.

People were screaming. I could hear them. I blinked and saw why they were screaming.

The bodies falling tens of stories down to the ground.  
_Dear God..._

"Bella!"

I can't pull away. The screeching in the air is no longer just from the metal. I recognize that.

Recognize the sounds.

See them.

Iy'tarias' demons. In broad daylight. Scaling the building...ripping it to shreds...

"Bella!"

Then his arms are around me. I have one more second to blink...then nothing but pain ripping through me as I feel everything being torn around me. The matter...the air...We're moving. I know it though I can't see. We're moving so fast that the very matter was being ripped from my body.

I can feel it happening.

For a split second all I can think is: I'm going to die.

I'm going to die in Edward's arms.

And the most shocking thing is, that as long as I'm in his arms when it happens...It's ok.

It's freaking ok.


	53. Incredibly Close

**Chapter 53**

**Incredibly Close and Unbelievably Defenseless**

* * *

***BPOV

The first sound out of my mouth is a scream. A choked, barely there scream but I hear it nonetheless. It's the first sign I have that my body is still intact. Then, I clearly feel it slamming into what feels like bricks.

I want to scream again but the weight of a warm body slams into me, grating my back further into the wall behind me. It should hurt, but it doesn't, and I instantly recognize the heat pressed against me. Immediately recognize the scent and the urgent voice that follows. The hands that are now cupping my face.

"By the Gods, Bella. Talk to me. I can barely hear you. Look at me."

He can barely hear me? What the hell is he talking about? The urgency in his voice stabs me deep. His hands are still cupping my face, the heat seeping in even further. I can't see anything, but I can _feel. _I can literally taste him in the air.

"Talk to me. Little one, please. I had no choice. You shouldn't even be alive...what am I saying? Of course you are. Just talk to me. Your thoughts barely make sense. Tell me you're alright."

He's rambling, his voice and breath hitting my face. Sliding into me deeper than his heat ever could. He's also worried. My heart clenches, threatening to escape my chest at the realization. I want to tell him I'm ok. That he'd saved me...even as I know that I shouldn't have been able to survive travelling like that. That no _mere _human could.

"Bella, _please_."

I manage to move. Manage to lift my arms. The world is barely starting to seep into my vision and all I can see is flashes of white. But it doesn't matter because I manage. Manage to circle my arms around him. Manage to squeeze tight.

I hear his exhale. Feel his relief. The way his heart is slamming against his ribcage. Calm seeps through the bodily confusion. But not for long. Soon, I hear the footsteps getting closer. I almost panic, thinking the demons had found us. Then, I hear Edward's voice again, confused, shocked, and even slightly afraid.

"Jasperian?"


	54. Jasperian

**Chapter 54**

**Jasperian**

* * *

***BPOV

"You're supposed to be dead."

"Eduardus...they've lied to you. For a long time. But first, come. We need to get you both to safety, and get her stabilized."

I'm confused; I still can't talk. I feel Edward move back. I clung to his shirt and whimpered pathetically while trying to think past my weakness and the fact that I still can't really see.

"Shh. I'm here," Edward soothes, his voice hypnotic. I feel his hands...then I'm lifted into his arms. Pressed tight against his chest where his scent is at its strongest and his heart at its closest. Instinctually, I snuggle deep. Get comfortable.

"I'm here, baby girl. Just breathe."

Hearing him call me that stabs something deep in my midsection. Again, he sounds genuinely worried. Like he genuinely cares. And his voice, wrapping around that nickname...I hear him groan quietly. Feel him bring me closer. Wonder what's going on.

"Hmm," I hear the new comer, Jasperian, comment. "I remember a time when you looked down on me. On both of us. Now...now it seems times have changed, have they not, my friend?"

"Shut it," Edward says, pulling me even closer. I can tell we're walking. Still can't make out a thing around me. "Where have you been all this time?"

"With the reason I fell. And I'm not the only one. I've been in contact with Emmelius. We've been waiting for you. For you both. It's why I pulled you into this alley when I felt your energy signature speeding by."

"Knew I recognized you. Thought I was going crazy," Edward mumbled. "So, where are we going?"

"Where you'll both be safe. For now. There's a lot you still don't know. And a lot you need to tell us. Just understand that we were all meant to fall. You know only of your first human lives. You have no idea what you really are to each other or what you're meant to be. I didn't, either, when it came to Alice. But I do now and I can tell you this, the way you both feel about each other...it's the one thing that can kill Iy'tarias. And the main reason why he will stop at nothing until he kills you both."


	55. The Beginning

**Chapter 55**

**The Beginning**

* * *

***EPOV

I lay Bella down on the bed in Jasperian's home. I am still furious over the lie I was told. He and Emmelius were supposed to be in the same place Demotrix had been. I'd been told they'd been severely punished and consequently killed for having fallen to their charges.

But I'll think on that later. For now, I am definitely glad to find my 'friends' very much alive. On top of that, my worry for Bella is burning me from the inside. Just like whatever had her in its grips was burning her. At first, I'd thought it was initiated from traveling via energy waves but, now I knew there was something else attacking her. Something I couldn't place. Seeing her shaking like that...she was pale. Sweating...

"Damn it, Jasperian. What's happening to her?"

"I doubt this is physical, Eduardus. You might have to go back into her mind."

I sit on the bed gently. Place my hand on Bella's forehead. Sometime during our trip over here (which we'd made in Jasperian's car) she'd fallen into some kind of trance. I couldn't even hear her anymore when I touched her and that...that scared the fuck out of me.

"I'm ready," I said, getting up and moving to lay next to her.

"Not, yet."

"Jasperian..."

"It's Jasper now and before you go, we need to talk. Emmett is coming upstairs as we speak and if we're going to help you, we all need to tell each other what we know. You start at the beginning and then we'll do the same."

I wanted nothing more than to just dive into sleep to help Bella but I knew he was right. Knew that I had no idea what I would find once I was in her dream realm. And I needed to have outside back-up that was prepared. "I don't remember all of it," I began, lying next to Bella. Pulling her into my arms. Chest tightening at seeing her like that. "But it all began when I was human. Specifically, on the day that I died. She's the reason I died. I remember that."


	56. Ten Thousand Years Ago

**Chapter 56**

**Ten Thousand Years Ago**

* * *

****EPOV

Jasper, as he now wants to be called, is sitting in a chair in front of the bed. I'm holding Bella to my chest, caressing her hair and trying to hear her. Emmett is sitting by the window, massive arms crossed and looking worried.

I'm beyond fucking glad to have them back in my life but I can't even focus on that. It's the girl in my arms that matters first and foremost.

"According to Greco, she's why I was even born in the first place. She's been alive once before...she was born into the first family to rise up against Iy'tarias. Back then, almost all humans bowed to him as the supreme being. What her family did...it would lead to his downfall."

"What did they do?" Emmett asked.

"Simply disobeyed. You know that Gods, or _ex_-Gods, as is his case, can only be powerful as long as they're worshipped. Hell, my own family lived in fear and worshipped him like every one else. But when her family turned against him..."

"It was what weakened his powers enough for the Archs to find a chink," Jasper said, nodding with a hard expression.

"One hell of a chink. I now remember the day they came down en masse. No humans had yet to be recruited amongst them...I was to become the first," I said, feeling Bella tremble. Hearing her whimper. Pulling her so close I almost had her on top of me and ignoring the looks being thrown at me by the other two _men _in the room.

"And you died for her, didn't you?"

"I was eighteen. She was but a child. I was helping my mother cook when she came running down the hill. I'll never forget the fear in her eyes. The demons chasing her. It's why I threw myself in front of her. Took a blade to the chest. Everything changed after that. Everything. I stayed alive for a few minutes. Saw my entire family slaughtered...saw them tear into her. Saw the Archs swooping down and battling for her soul even as another Arch came and asked if he could change my own."


	57. Instinctual Rage

**Chapter 57**

**Instinctual Rage**

* * *

***EPOV

"Markonius," Emmett said, nodding his head.

I gritted my teeth, hearing Bella whimper and dying to get everything over with so I could help her. Didn't even know if I'd be able to but damn it, I needed to try. "Yes. He turned me into the first Arch that day. Ripped my soul out of my body and used it to make me a new form. A more powerful form..."

"But we all had to choose this. Are you saying _you _didn't?" Jasper asked, his worried eyes flickering momentarily to Bella before meeting my own again.

"I did. I didn't remember before now, but that day, when he leaned down next to me, he asked me if I'd do it again. If I'd be willing to help the child again if given the chance..." I didn't need to tell them what happened next. I hadn't even known the girl and yet...I'd seen her die even though I had decided to die _for _her. The pain it'd caused had been worse than seeing my own family die. My poor mother...It all happened so fast...mere minutes stretched into hours of detail but still...I'd said yes. Of course I'd said yes. Given the chance to go back in time, especially knowing the girl that child had reincarnated into...I'd do it again.

In a fucking heartbeat.

"Greco says this was meant to be. That this was my destiny. That this is why I died. And on top of that, she's not completely human. According to him, she never was," I said, looking down and cupping Bella's tiny face. Trying to hear her again but coming up against the same blank wall.

"Markonius said it was your destiny, too."

My head snapped up, my ears literally twitching. "You've been in contact with him?" I asked Jasper, sitting up slightly.

"Yes. Briefly. It's when he enlisted our help. He can't talk you because he said that she is looking for you. That she is going mad with rage. That Elyf..."

But he didn't get to finish. The moment that bitch's name left his mouth, Bella arched literally off of me, a rage-filled and pained scream hurtling out of her mouth and crashing against the walls.


	58. Spiraling

**Chapter 58**

**Spiraling**

* * *

***EPOV

I jumped right off the bed, but only to lean over her. Bella's screams were so filled with fury that I didn't know what to do. Especially since she wasn't awake. Whatever it was..."I need to get in there. Now!" I yelled at Jasper and Emmett, knowing that there would be no way for me to fall asleep on demand. Not with those screams...

"One second. Just...there she is!" Jasper cried, right as I heard the banging on the door.

My heart was being destroyed inside me. I tried to hold Bella down. Growled like a beast when I saw Emmett try to help me, knowing I was being ridiculous but unable to stop my rage at the idea of _anyone _touching her.

"Jesus!" I heard a tiny voice exclaim, seconds before an even tinier girl burst through the door. Her shoulder length black hair whirled all over her face. Her blue eyes were wide. Frightened as she stared at the bed. I remembered her. Instantly. Remembered the day I, myself, had shown her to Jasper and told him about his new charge.

"What the hell caused this?" she screamed, fighting to make herself be heard over Bella's screams.

Even worse, my little one was now clawing. At the sheets. At me. At _herself_. "I don't know!" I yelled, frantic.

Alice, as I remembered her name was, threw a case on the bed. Flipped it open and began taking out a needle and syringe. It was then that I noticed her nurses clothes. Realized what she intended... "I'm not human," I growled, frustrated that she would even waste time on such an idea.

"Neither are we and that shit nearly left me comatose last time she experimented on me," Emmett said, still close to the bed and clearly dying to help.

If it could put a _non-_human as big as him to sleep...I flipped onto my back, grabbing onto Bella and hugging her tight. "Hurry!" I yelled, fighting to hold her down without hurting any of her fragile bones. Wondered for a split second how that needle was actually going to pierce my flesh...then it did. And instantly, the mortal world went black.


	59. Chaos That Leads To Flames

**Chapter 59**

**Chaos That Leads To Flames**

* * *

***EPOV

The moment I 'come-to' inside the dream, I find myself outside of the mansion. I briefly wonder where Greco is since I know I wouldn't be here without his help but have a bigger issue to focus on. The world above me is being ripped apart by a vicious storm that's turned the sky black and the mansion itself is shaking at its very foundation. Then I hear it. _Her _scream.

I rush in through the doors not giving a fuck about any danger, just needing to find her...Ducked just in time to avoid being smacked in the head by a vase. A vase that slammed against the wall, shattering. I looked around; everything was moving in slow motion. Saw the walls and the stairs shaking and...Bella.

A wild, furious, wild haired Bella whose eyes were nearly black with rage. I know that this Bella is merely a representation of her subconscious and therefore her emotions are so much more intense and out of control in this form, but still. I can only step back and wonder what the hell has her so...

"Why the fuck are you here? I don't want to see you right now, why the fuck would my brain force you on me?"

"Bella?"

"No! Shut the fuck up! The only thing I want to hear from you is: Who is she? Who. The. FUCK. Is. She?"

She's advancing on me. The straps of her white dress are hanging off her shoulders. Her hair is chaotic as it falls down said shoulders and the fury she's throwing at me...I'm throbbing. I'm actually scared but worse of all, I'm so hard I can barely walk. It hits me that her rage started right when...when she heard Elyf's name. When Jasper mentioned her looking for me...

"I will ask you again, who the fuck is she?"

But I don't even have a chance to answer. My shirt is pulled, I'm pushed roughly against the wall and next thing I know, I have an out of control dream-Bella pressed right up against me.


	60. The Collapse and Eradication of Control

**Chapter 60**

**The Collapse and Eradication of Control**

* * *

***EPOV

We both freeze.

Our bodies do not. I'm shaking. She's shaking. The house is calming down around us...

Her lips are still pressed against mine.

My brain expands in a way it never had before. It fought to take in every detail of what I was experiencing. I know that emotions in this realm are more intense while physical sensations are dulled. Still, she seeps in. Infects me. I feel her overcoming every cell...

I opened my mouth, trying to inhale. Ended up inhaling her. Scream at myself to pull back even as my lips close again, this time around one of hers...softly suck. Her moan shatters everything. I don't even realize I'm wrapping my arms around her until my hands are digging roughly into her back, the material of her dress nearly ripping.

I don't know who moved next. Who tilted their head first. Just know that I heard another moan, pressed her tighter against me...and took. Slowly, I took. Sucked on one lip than the other, literally seizuring against the girl as her taste and scent exploded.

Obliterated.

Common sense was destroyed. Especially when my little one whimpered, her own lips gently sucking on my own.

One of my hands latched onto the back of her head. Her smallness sent a hot throb through me. Her soft hair tickled my palms and fingers, making my body ache even more...

"Edward, Oh God," she pulled back and moaned, her lips rubbing against mine.

I lost it. The wall of self-restraint I'd barely been keeping up was destroyed, the dust it left behind swirling around us and disappearing. In a flash, I turned us around. Pressed her against the wall with every inch of my body.

Begged myself one last time to stop before red colored my vision and nothing else.


	61. Unbeatable Surrender

**Chapter 61**

**Unbeatable Surrender**

* * *

***EPOV

I pressed her against the wall. Felt nothing but heat, soft flesh, gossamer, and pleasure. A pleasure so intense my entire existence was obliterated.

An unbearable exchange of soft sucks could be heard in the air. Felt in every fiber of my being. Her lips in mine. My own being pulled by hers. Every drag sent more of her hurdling into me. I groaned, biting softly down on flesh that made me _ache _to do more.

Her body was tiny against mine.

So breakable.

An illusion within this dream world. A scary reality in real life. I could tear her in two if I wasn't careful. Couldn't break away from the fact that I needed to feel her outside of this world, too.

Especially when her fingers made their way into my hair pulling me closer. Especially when her little tongue licked, electrifying and demanding entrance.

It caused me to press harder. Thrust once. Knew she could feel my damnation. The fury she'd caused.

My body was on autopilot, instincts that I'd thought long dead rising to the fore front. I returned her lick. Opened my mouth. Shook like a fucking virgin as I really tasted her breath.

The moment she let me into her mouth, I snapped.

One hand shot ruthlessly around her thigh. Lifted. Wrapped it around my hips. Slid my tongue against hers and felt my stomach drop. Cave. Got hit on by pure ecstasy and the sharpest realization I'd ever had.

I wasn't going to be able to stop this.

And Bella...Bella didn't seem to want me to. At all.


	62. The Last Vestiges of Control and Guilt

**Chapter 62**

**The Last Vestiges of Control and Guilt**

* * *

***EPOV

"Edward."

"_Mmm_," I hummed, my chest vibrating and literally expanding at the sound of my name leaving her lips like that. A moan that I'd been dying to hear even though I'd pushed that fact back in the recesses of my brain.

My fingers should've broken through flesh considering how hard they were digging into her thigh. Her hip. Holding her still for my starving body. A body that was straining and on the verge of losing its immortality simply because it wanted her so much.

I had a moment of guilt flash through me. A hesitation born of the fact that I was in her dream and Bella wasn't aware of the reality of _my _consciousness.

That lasted about a second before Bella's fingers cupped my chin, her touch more magnetic and shocking than that of any being I'd ever come in contact with.

The way her tongue moved was sinful. Completely incongruous with what I knew of the nature of the girl. There was no fear. No hesitation or disgust.

"Bella," I groaned, fighting to breathe as the dream world literally began pulsating around us. I knew it was her. Her breath. Her rapid heartbeats. Her need for _me. _

"Edward, please," she moaned throatily, her voice making my eyes roll into the back of my head. "I want...I...need..with you. Only you. Edward, show me what it's like. _Please._"

Her plea slaps me across the face.

_Shit!_

_Fuck...shit..._

_Motherfucker!_

Yup. 'Cause there went the very last of my self-restraint.


	63. Grab Bite Mark

**Chapter 63**

**Grab. Bite. Mark.**

* * *

***EPOV

I let go of her thigh. My hands slide, the material of her dress whispering against the nerves in my palms. Smalls bits of skin teasing and doing worse. Somehow, my hands end up clamping down hard on her ass.

We both moan at the sensation. Bella tightens her leg around my hip. Our bodies are straining against each other viciously. My own slams her back roughly into the wall. The 'matter' of it ripples, fracturing before reforming itself. Bella doesn't seem to notice one bit. Pulls my head down, her teeth scraping across my jaw.

My own teeth land on the skin of her neck. Pull hard. My tongue soothes the abused skin. Even diluted by the dream, her taste eradicates.

Consumes.

Possesses me to the point that my cock is leaking, on the verge of doing something it hadn't done since I was human. "Fuck baby girl," I hear myself beg. "Wait...too close..."

"Fuck! _Edward_!"

I feel something snap. Lift her completely off the floor. I'm wreckless. Frenzied with the thought of making her come. Try to flash us upstairs into a room. Any room.

Bella's tongue slides up towards my ear. We don't make it further then the stairs. There, I slam her on them, snarling like a damned animal.

Falling to my knees on the step between her open ones. I'm still snarling at I lean over her. Rub my nose against her collarbone, inhaling every bit of her I can.

Bella arches, pulling me even closer.

I bit down, determined to mark every inch of her and so much more.


	64. The Intruders Hath No Mercy

**Chapter 64**

**The Intruders Hath No Mercy**

* * *

***EPOV

My fingers are in her hair. I know they're being too harsh. Pulling too hard. Can't stop myself. Bella's pulling just as hard. My mouth finds her, our panting breaths mixing together. Bella's swirling her tongue around mine so perfectly. I love her mouth, can't believe how soft and wet it is.

My brain is feverish with curiosity. Sick with the images slicing through it with every pass of her tongue inside my mouth. I'm dying to know. Dying to taste. Dying to see and feel if her other lips are the same as the inside of her mouth.

"Edward, baby. Oh, God."

And she's still arching. Rocking her hips. Hands sliding down my back and grabbing my ass so she can use the hold to ground herself harder against me. The experience is burning me. Imprinting itself upon my mind. I can feel it happening. Can't stop it.

Don't want to.

"Edward, harder! God, I think I'm going to..."

"Oh, shit," I choke, my blood _roaring_.

The stairs underneath us is threatened on a fundamental level. But thanks to the dream, it holds. My control, however, is long gone. I slam my fists into the staircase next to her head. Rise up and thrust, rubbing my cock hard into her, needing to see. Almost come right there myself from how beautiful she is.

We're both close. So fucking close...When the voices intrude, causing us both to freeze.

_"The other room! Put her in the other room! We need to separate them, now!" _

I recognize Jasper's voice. Know it's leaking into both of our minds from the outside.

Fuck. My. Life.


	65. Stark Realizations of the Dangerous Kind

**Chapter 65**

**Stark Realizations of the Dangerous Kind**

* * *

***EPOV

My eyes clash with hers. The house around us is faltering more than ever.

Bella is still clinging to me, much to my surprise. I feel her fingers tighten around my arms.

I swallow heavily, trying to find my voice. I can still hear the frantic voice of the others as they try to wake us up. Know she can hear them, too.

Considering the violent destruction of the house around us, the dream should've broken apart by now. Should've collapsed in on us forcing me to face her in the real world. But it hasn't, yet, and I know it's because she's keeping it together. By sheer force of will she's keeping us both here.

I can hear Jasper trying to wake me up. Hear Alice gently calling out Bella's name. Still haven't found my voice.

The guilt is back and it has a stranglehold on my windpipe. I swallow again. Try to push passed it. Know I have to beg her for forgiveness like the piece of shit I am.

The girl under me is still clinging to me.

Shaking.

Every inch of her is trembling with the fear I can see shimmering deep in those beautiful eyes.

"Bella..."

"Edward...Oh God. Edward, is it really _you_?"

The last is said with a gasp. I fight the urge I have to look away, feeling like I'd swallowed barbed wire. Don't get a chance to do anything else when the dream fully breaks apart before my very eyes, forcing me back into the conscious world.


	66. Time to Explain Oh Dark Angel

**Chapter 66**

**Time to Explain Oh Dark Angel**

* * *

***BPOV

"Bella? Bella, can you hear me?"

My eyes shoot open, landing on a small, black-haired girl in pink scrubs. Behind her is an Amazonian-like blond woman who is also looking at me with a concerned expression.

"Bella...are you ok?" The black-haired one asked, her blue eyes wide.

I swallowed, trying to get my bearings. Instantly, the dream comes back to me in stark, vivid detail.

Heart racing, I force myself to look at the two women in front of me. I've never met them but the voice of the smaller one is easily recognizable. I'd heard it in my dream.

I wanted to believe that her voice had merely leaked into my subconscious but knew better. Knew, against all human logic, that whatever I'd just experienced had been very much real.

_Fuck human logic, you know damn well that shit goes beyond that._

It's true. My whole life had been a study in that.

"Where is he? Where's Edward? I need to talk to him," I said, my words nearly colliding together in my haste.

They try to dissuade me, tell me that I should wait a few more minutes. I'm having none of it and call out for Edward until, _finally, _I see his tall frame appear before the doorway.

His shoulders are hunched. His expression is saddened and remorseful. Hesitant.

I should be furious. Want to be. But the dream and every memory I have of him thus far is making that impossible.

The look on his face is too adorable. Too attractive to me. Almost pouting, definitely worried, and way too freaking gorgeous for my own good.

I can't find my self-righteous rage no matter how hard I try.

So instead I say softly, "Get in here. We need to talk."

Because yeah, lack of anger notwithstanding, he still has some very serious explaining to do.


	67. Tell Her All

**Chapter 67**

**Tell Her All**

* * *

***EPOV

I've barely opened my eyes when I hear Bella calling out for me. Hear the others trying to calm her down. Won't lie, a part of me wants to cowardly shrink away.

Hide.

She now knows.

She fucking knows.

I want to be angry at my friends for waking us up the way they did. Know, in the end, that they had very good reasons to do so. I can see in their minds what was happening between Bella and I before they pulled us apart. The way we'd become intertwined, our bodies thrusting and writhing. _Seeking._

Seeking the very thing we'd been racing towards in our dream.

The images destroy a few more brain cells as I raise off the bed. I flash myself in front of the doorway and see her immediately.

Her eyes are open and she seems to be alright. Relief pounds through me at the same time that shame flames brighter inside me.

I'm getting ready to begin an endless litany of apologies when Bella sits up fully and swings her legs over the side of the bed. Tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, looking shy and unbelievably uncertain.

"I need a few moments alone with him," she tells the other women in the room.

They leave but look just as uncertain as I feel while they walk out.

"Come here," Bella says, taking me by surprise and patting the spot next to her on the bed.

I'm breaking out into a very human-like and nervous sweat as I make my way over to her. My body feels like it's made out of pure lead as it falls heavily onto the bed. Don't even know where to begin when Bella speaks up again.

"I'm trying really hard not to be mad at you right now. But I need you to tell me everything you know. Please, what's going on?"


	68. Honesty And What it Leads To

**Chapter 68**

**Honesty And What it Leads To**

* * *

***EPOV

I'm afraid to look at her. Afraid to see that what I'm hearing in her voice is wrong. Afraid to see that I'm mistaken and she does, in fact, despise me. Jaw twitching, I stare ahead and begin to tell her everything as far as I know. Tell her about our first lifetimes and how I never really knew her.

She must've been at least ten years younger than me back then. Too young for someone like me to desire her the way I do in the present, I know that now, but one look at her and I hadn't been able to bear the thought of her dying.

Perhaps it was because she was my destiny, as everyone said. Perhaps it was simply _her. _I told her all this, striving not to forget any detail. Determined to be as honest as possible for her sake.

"So...how many times have we lived?" Bella asked in a small voice.

"Me...since then," I answer with a laugh. "You? Only once before...as far as I know. There's so much I don't know and I realize that now."

"You died for me," she whispered, the statement unbelievably loud in the room nonetheless.

"I've also...taken advantage," I said, my voice gruff.

"Why didn't you tell me from the beginning? Why didn't you tell me that it was really you in my dream?"

There's no censor in her voice, merely curiosity and again, I'm surprised. "I was told not to. That it would be the only way you'd willingly open up to me. Tell me what happened to you."

"They were right," Bella said, her hand landing softly on my shoulder.

The Gods curse me, fire ignited in my abdomen. My heart takes off with the fury of a marching Roman legion as she turns my upper body towards her.

"You really died for me. A girl you didn't even know."

"I'd do it again," I said, nodding. Almost choking when she gave me a tiny, shy smile and leaned towards, her arms wrapping around my neck.


	69. You're in Trouble Angel

**Chapter 69**

**You're in Trouble Angel**

* * *

***EPOV

My hands are trembling as I raise my arms to hug her back. I can see them. Bella's half on the bed and half on me, her head tucked under my chin. I'm torn between so many emotions I can't even begin to properly assimilate them all. I'm still expecting her to pull back and slap me. Rail at me. Accuse me of taking advantage.

I'm too curious to know why she hadn't, and I'm unable to stop myself from asking. "Why aren't you angry with me for what just happened?" I trail off, fighting the insane urge I had to tighten my hold on her in case she decided to bolt.

But Bella didn't pull away from me to rage or attack. As a matter of fact, she was bright pink and wouldn't meet my eyes. "Um...yeah. I believe I started that one," Bella mumbled, staring at the floor and biting her lip. I clenched _everywhere, _my body fixated on her mouth even though I demanded that it behave itself.

"So, you never answered. Who's that woman, Elyf? It is a woman, right?" Bella asked.

I blinked. Swallowed. The mysterious sweats started coming back due to what I could hear lurking behind her tone. "She is a higher being."

"A Goddess?"

"More like a demon," I answered under my breath.

"And who is she to you?"

Ok. Definitely something acid-worthy swimming within those words. I struggle for the appropriate words to describe the situation. Know that regardless of what I say, I'm in deep shit. I'm going to alienate the only woman I've ever wanted because of the one 'female' I truly despise.

"Are you with her?" Bella asks, shooting off the bed and heading towards the window.

"No, I'm not 'with' her," I said, desperate to have Bella next to me again. Desperate for a way to erase the mistake that was threatening to cost me the only person who mattered. I knew the moment I saw her hug herself, her back facing me, that I was in trouble.

"But you're fucking her, aren't you?"


	70. Alienation Advancement

**Chapter 70**

**Alienation Advancement**

* * *

***EPOV

I'm stunned into silence by her bluntness.

Take one second too long to answer. Bella lets out a scoff before turning and heading for the door. Doesn't even give me a chance to tell her the reality of the situation. Then again, what exactly was I going to say?

I'd made the mistake of allowing Elyf to gain control over my body early on in my 'career' as an Arch. Had done it in an effort to stop her from unleashing her rage upon Markonius since he'd been denying her any access to me from day one.

She was a higher being than him and because of who her father was, she had a higher standing with the Counsel. I'd given in and allowed her access to me to stop her from causing any harm to my mentor.

Had I been fucking her all these centuries? If that's what you could call letting her abuse my body, then yes. Every time my body refused to respond to her, there had been rage. Refusing to accept that she caused no response in me, she blamed me and would end up using her powers to create the desired effect. And after, when my body refused to feel anything for her, she'd resort to causing me pain.

Every erection I'd ever had with her had been forced. Numb. A hardening of flesh that served only one purpose: pleasuring Elyf. She had never caused a semblance of a spark in me. Never, in ten thousand plus years, had she made me orgasm. Had never come close. There had never been any pleasure, not even the phantom kind. She had never invoked in me a molecule's worth of what Bella did, and now...

Bella had just stormed out of the room with the very obvious intention of not talking to me.

Determined to find some way to make her understand and panicking at the idea of not being able to, I jumped off the bed and stormed outside, desperate to find her. What met me instead was everyone huddled around a large flat screen tv hanging on the wall of the living room.

A news helicopter was filming and zoomed in on the building complex Bella lived in and the side of it was completely missing.


	71. The Rush Begins

**Chapter 71**

**The Rush Begins**

* * *

***EPOV

"Officials state that an investigation is underway. At around 8:42am, an explosion seemed to go off somewhere in the building, causing a fatal collapse of the east wall. At least six floors were affected and at least ten deaths have been confirmed. One of the tenants that survived was too traumatized to give a proper interview. Nonetheless, we caught up to him as he was being wheeled into the ambulance."

The shot changed, showing a man on a gurney. He was badly injured and burned. He railed at the cameras as he was being lifted onto the back of the ambulance. His burns were probably second degree but it was the obvious claw gashes across his face that stood out.

"That wasn't an explosion!" he yelled. "They were some kind of monsters! Red skin! They climbed the damned building like they were Spiderman!"

Yeah, ok. It would be easy to believe the man was hallucinating if it wasn't for his face and the fact that I knew what Iy'tarias' demons looked like.

"Oh, God," I heard Bella whimper just as Jasper turned off the TV. "It's all my fucking fault. Ms. Lasdieri, she was eighty-five. She lived on the floor beneath mine and she probably didn't make it out. She was so nice. Always worried about whether I had food or not. And now she's probably dead because of me. It's all my fault."

I flashed before Bella, not giving a fuck about whatever distance she was determined to keep between us. Cupped her face and made her look at me. "Listen to me, this is not your fault. Iy'tarias is to blame."

"They were looking for me!"

"Bella!"

I was interrupted by Emmett, who cleared his throat behind me.

"I managed to make contact with Markonius while you two were under. We need to make arrangements to head out to South America. Iy'tarias is preparing the ceremony to sacrifice her on his end. We need to beat him to it and perform a different one of our own."


	72. Open Those Eyes Angel

**Chapter 72**

**Open Those Eyes Angel**

* * *

***EPOV

"We have to travel via road. They're going to be monitoring every energy channel. Luckily we're right next to Mexico. We so much as dematerialize two inches and they'll catch us," Emmett said, dropping weapon after weapon onto the bed.

Guns. Riffles. Retractable swords. A fucking grenade launcher. No, wait. Make that two. "I'm taking this one," I said, grabbing the larger of the two grenade launchers.

"Bro, that one has my name on it."

I turned the thing around. Huh. Guess it did. "Too bad," I shrugged, moving to grab a few of the knives.

"Asshole," Emmett mumbled under his breath, a grudging smirk on his face.

"Tell me more about this ceremony we have to do," I said.

"Iy'tarias wants the human world to know of his existence again. Wants to break free so he can really rule. He's been too long without proper fear being fed to him. Not even the Counsel truly fears him that much anymore. If he were to capture Bella and sacrifice her before the Universe and every eye in it, it wouldn't only free him. It would solidify his power and give him what he needs. Respect through fear."

My vision is fading in and out with fury at the thought of anyone hurting Bella. "So what do we have to do?"

"Beat him to it. His ceremony would involve a lot of the fugly. Death. Tears. Separation. Agony. I'm sure Jasper told you that the real reason Iy'tarias needs both you and Bella dead is because of how you feel for each other."

"You're talking about a fucking Pagan sex ritual," I growled, my brain picking up on his thoughts and rebelling at the idea of forcing Bella into something like that.

"I'm talking about a love ritual, Bro. And I think it's time you admit what's obvious to anyone who has watched you with her. That's how you feel about her. You're. In. Love. With. Her."


	73. Your Truth Her Truth

**Chapter 73**

**Your Truth Her Truth**

* * *

***EPOV

He might've as well have smacked me across the face. I felt said face twitch violently. For about two seconds. Then, the reality settled. No lies, It'd been there for a long time. I was just finally admitting it to myself. Of course it was love.

Not a human and pathetic definition of it but something stronger. Something I knew deep down in my bones had to do with whatever we were to each other. And something that apparently only Markonius could fully explain.

The others had been told much but even they didn't have a full explanation of how all this had really started. I'd already dug through their minds.

"This isn't about how I feel," I finally said, turning to look at Emmett. "Do you have any idea what that girl has been through? Forcing something like this on her..."

"Who said it would be forcing? Dude, the heat jumps off you two like a volcano whenever you're in the same room."

"She's still been through too much to give her a time frame on something like that." Although I wanted it. The Gods help me, I fucking _wanted_it.

"Why don't you let her decide that?"

"She won't. Even without other issues, she's too angry over Elyf."

"Well...yeah, that might be a bigger problem. A jealous woman isn't easy to appease. On the other hand, talk to her about it."

"Why?" I asked, not catching on.

Emmett laughed and clapped me on the shoulder. "Bro, if she's jealous it's a good sign. It means she cares. Now get out there and start seducing your woman. We have a while before me make it to where we have to go. Start slow but for fuck's sake, start. The fate of the world literally fucking hinges on it."


	74. Details That Need to be Discussed

**Chapter 74**

**Details That Need to be Discussed**

* * *

***EPOV

An R.V. Well, no. There's two of them, actually. The point is that we're about to drive across the damned country like this is some sort of road trip. Once inside, I placed my duffel bags down on one of the seats as Bella, Jasper and Alice entered behind me.

I'm immediately distracted by the mischievous smile on Alice's face and the bright red blush adorning Bella's. She's clutching one specific bag very tightly to her chest and I'm instantly bombarded by curiousity. Just as Jasper is turning on the car, I turn, intent on picking up what's going on with Bella from Alice's mind. Am met head on with a glare from Alice that clearly warned me not to try it.

"Markonius informed me that they'll be watching us from above and all that. But it's best if none of us raise our energy signatures while on this plane. They'll be able to track us immediately if we do. At least until we get to Mexico. We should be able to meet up with some backup and get our real fucking weapons then," Jasper said, waving at Emmett as they both drove the R.V's onto the highway.

"Why is he communicating with you and not me?" I asked, stopping right behind the driver's seat.

Jasper stared up at me, the warning in his eyes shouting out at me. "I think we both know why. You can't be found, remember?" he whispered.

I looked at Alice. Caught her staring at me with the same warning in her eyes. Eyes that kept darting between me and the back. When she looked back at me and shook her head, the full details of her warning becoming clear.

_Do not mention the bitch's name within Bella's hearing distance. Got it._

Except then the door to the one bedroom in the back slammed opened and Bella called out an order.

"Get your ass in here, Eduardus! Apparently, we have a few things to discuss!"

Right.

_Gulp._


	75. Accusation

**Chapter 75**

**Accusation**

* * *

***EPOV

My balls feel like they've mysteriously shriveled up and are trying to hide inside me. I'm once again nervous because of the girl as I walk passed the small kitchen, the bathroom, and towards the open door in the back.

I walk in and find Bella sitting on the bed, her eyes staring at her hands. I stop just inside, not feeling welcome and knowing that the girl in front of me had every right to be confused.

To not want me around.

"Close the door," Bella said, still not looking at me.

Ok...I did as I was told. Slowly. Carefully. Only enough room for the two person bed Bella was sitting on, really. I was just about to take a spot standing in the corner when Bella pointed to the other side of the bed.

"Sit."

So I did. Waited as patiently as I could for her to address me again. Bella turned, allowing me a view of her profile. Her eyes stared at the closed door. I would've given half of my lifespan to have been able to read her thoughts without touching her. Especially when I saw her cheekbone gradually turn pink again.

"So...they've explained to me what we have to do."

"Bella," I said urgently. "We'll find another way. I don't want you to be forced into this. Not after everything you've been through."

"That, believe it or not, is the least of my worries and the least important of all the issues," Bella said with a little self-deprecating laugh.

"What?" I asked, shaking my head because of the confusion.

Bella turned and finally locked eyes with me. There was anger and accusation sparking behind hers. "The problem is that I never imagined that when the day finally arrived for me to work past my 'issues' and experience _that _with a man, he would clearly belong to another woman! Right. Exactly how I imagined it happening."


	76. Honesty Caused Heat

**Chapter 76**

**Honesty Caused Heat**

* * *

***BPOV

The 'room' went quiet after that, however, my insides were not. A part of me couldn't believe that I was fucking jealous. That I had the capability to feel as I currently did about any guy. Especially another fucking one like him. No, scratch that. Just looking at this Arch made it obvious. Made perfect sense that it was _him. _

I'm still expecting Edward to answer when in a blur, he appears on his knees in front of me. I gasped. His eyes are pleading with me even though the look on his face is hard. Determined, almost. He grabbed my hands, which I didn't realize until then I'd clenched.

"Bella, look at me."

The same urgency I could see in his eyes was also in his voice. I swallowed and looked back up. Almost got melted into the bed by the look in his eyes. The feeling of his large hands wrapped around my own.

"Bella..." he swallowed heavily, his eyes dropping to look at our hands, then back at me. My body tensed, heat flaring. "If...if I can be claimed by any woman, it's definitely not her," Edward said, somehow sounding passionate and shy all at once.

"Huh?" was all that left my mouth. 'Cause my body was going haywire, confusion reigned supreme, and for some reason, Edward's hands were shaking as badly as mine.

"Bella...if I belong to anyone...fuck...it's...it's you."

And...it was instant. I felt the deluge coming. Tried to hold it back. _Don't! Don't you dare respond! Don't throb! _Too late. Even worse? Edward hissed, shooting back into the wall and letting go of my hands.

More confusion.

He was panting. Didn't look so good. Then...

"One more thing I _really _need to tell you," he said, his eyes on fucking fire when they met mine again. "When we touch...I can hear your thoughts."

WHAT THE FUCK?


	77. Revelations

**Chapter 77**

**Revelations**

* * *

***BPOV

I flew backwards. There really wasn't anywhere else to go. Ended up back flat against the bed. Eyes blinking up at the ceiling. I '_eeped_' when Edward appeared above me. "Bella? Bella are you ok? Tell me you're alright, you don't look so good, little one. Talk to me."

He was hovering over me, one knee on the bed and his other leg braced on the floor. He wasn't touching me but in those jeans and white vneck, the effect on my body was the same.

"Oh my God," I gasped, slapping a hand over my forehead. Then, broke into laughter. Worried I was a bit hysterical until once again I thought of him with _her _and rage sobered me up real quick. The laughter stopped immediately and I shot a glare at him that had him backing away.

With hands raised, Edward stood up. Then, under the weight of my glare, he seemed to deflate. Ended up leaning against the wall and sliding down until he was sitting wedged between it and the bed. "Fuck," he grumbled to himself, his fingers digging into his hair, pulling. I almost wanted to stop him but figured he could use some pain. "I didn't have a choice at the time. I can explain everything. I fucking hate her, Bella, and you..."

"What about me?" I asked, hearing how my voice was shaking from the barely controlled rage.

_What _was wrong with me?

But I could guess. I could guess and I was psychotic for wanting him that much. For feeling the way I did.

"I told you," he said, his green eyes too big and too attractive in their pleading as he looked up at me. "You own me."

"Oh God," I gasped, shaking and covering my mouth with my hand. My body was fighting a war against me, wanting to push past all my doubts, misgivings, and trauma so I could fling myself at him. It took everything to hold back. I held my hand up when Edward made a move towards me, looking concerned.

My voice was still shaking as I looked away from him. Blinked. My emotions were a confused clusterfuck that ranged from giddiness at what he said, to rage at the images of him and some _Goddess_, along with memories of what Demotrix had done to me and what the others had tried to do.

"Just...just start explaining, ok? 'Cause right now you and I seem to be the only hope this world has left but the idea of you and that...that woman...just start explaining. _Now._"


	78. Burn

**Chapter 78**

**Burn**

* * *

***EPOV

She really was jealous and I was fucking shaking. Battling the need to climb up on that bed next to her and hold her. Dying to feel her. I inhaled deeply, staying on the floor and knowing that it was best to give her some space. Bella's eyes were nothing short of tumultuous as she stared down at me. The hard set of her jaw was as adorable as it was disconcerting.

Finally, I figured I'd start at the beginning of the issue. I told her about Elyf's position on the council. The fact that her father was an ancient God whose one of many aliases was Zeus. I confessed to Bella how Elyf had threatened to have Markonius punished if I didn't give in.

"And her father would really do that? Nevermind, I read enough myths to guess the answer to that," Bella said, her small face still set in harsh lines. "So you had no choice but to give in. Ok. Still, you've been her lover for the last ten millenia. Ten fucking millenia. And you have that nerve to say that I...that you..."

"Bella," I said, throwing caution to the wind and flashing myself next to her on the bed. "I never felt anything but hate with her. And pain when she decided to punish me for it."

Bella finally meets my stare. "What exactly does that mean?" she asked, looking doubtful and hurting me with it. "How can you even 'fuck' someone if you don't feel anything?"

The venom in her tone serves its purpose. Hits me dead center in the chest and gives me a glimpse of what's burning inside her. Before I can give either of us a chance to think about it, I have her small chin in the palm of my hand. Her chaotic thoughts land hard in the middle of my head. Bella's face flares red and she tries to pull away from me before I can register her thoughts.

It's too late. I'm branded. Owned.

Trapped within something I'd never experienced before and it's time she understood that.

"She had powers. Enough to use my body but not enough to make me feel anything. Only you've done that...only you've ever made me burn."


	79. Bluntness

**Chapter 79**

**Bluntness**

* * *

***EPOV

"But you..."

She's trembling so hard her jaw is slapping against my hand. I should let her go. I should. But I can't. Her skin is addictive, her thoughts even more so. They are the sweetest, most arousing and heartwarming mess I've ever experienced. Her mind is so different than the other humans I'd come in contact with that I can't help but want to submerge myself in it.

Most humans are empty. Just hollow. Creature's full of denial, selfishness, and invalid emotions. She's none of those things. She's confused, aroused, and sweetly questioning. Unsure. And so _aware _of every emotion, good or bad, that's coursing through her head.

"Bella." Her name leaves my lips on a rough exhale. Her thoughts make me close my eyes. Make me yearn for everything she has to give. "I never...what happened between us during the dream...I haven't even come close to having an orgasm since I was human," I finally said, deciding to be blunt.

Her gasp echoes loudly in the room. Understanding flashes through her thoughts followed closely by hope and a heat so distinct I almost fell off my bed and to my knees in front of her. We're on a fucking bed together, I can't even begin to deny that my body is roaring demands. Defying my logic.

"I...I want _you_," I tell her, barely stopping myself from proclaiming how I really feel about her right there. "I've never felt for anyone the way I feel for you and I'm not just talking about the physical, got it?"

Bella eventually nods slowly. Her wide eyes are still locked on mine. "However," I said, beating back my body's protests. "I'm not ok with you being forced into this...ceremony after everything you've been through."

Never in a million years did I expect what I heard go through her head. What then came out of her mouth.

"Edward...I'm going to have to take it slow. But considering the circumstances and that it's been years since _it_ happened...I think I'm ready. I feel ready. And...you better not be lying, you hear me? 'Cause...'cause I wasn't lying when I said that if I'm going to experience that I wanted it to be with you."


	80. Trust

**Chapter 80**

**Trust**

* * *

***EPOV

There have been many moments throughout my existence when I can honestly say I've experienced some version of shock. But nothing, and I do mean _nothing_, could ever compare with the turmoil that hit my frontal lobe and discombobulated all my thought processes when I registered those words.

Her thoughts were worried, embarrassed, and frightened. Too much for my own wrecked brain. I was forced to let her face go. Up to that point, I'd been doing pretty well thinking past her scent but not anymore. Oh no. Her words were breaking through defenses I desperately needed to keep in place.

"What do you mean it's been years? The last Arch was imprisoned mere days before I was sent here," I said, my brain racing with possibilities.

"They didn't all get to...Demotrix...he..."

"God, I'm such an asshole. Bella, you don't have to talk about this."

"But I have before. With a therapist. Was never able to be fully honest because of the circumstances but I'm not as traumatized as you think anymore and we really need to talk about this if you and I are going to...you know."

I'm watching that nearly ever-present blush spread across her face and I'm awed by the strength of the girl in front of me. I've seen the pained and frightened child still locked in her self-conscious and yet, the woman she'd become was beyond fierce. Beyond determined. It dawned on me right then that Bella was definitely not someone weak or fragile that I had to worry about breaking.

"Are you sure you want to talk about this?" I asked softly.

"Yeah, I kind of know you now. I feel comfortable talking to you. I kind of...you know...trust you."

Humbled doesn't even begin to describe how I felt. Seriously. "Ok, then. Start wherever you're comfortable. Tell me."

"He's the only one that raped me. The others tried."


	81. Anything

**Chapter 81**

**Anything**

* * *

***EPOV

Bella took a deep breath. I could almost see her reaching into the past. Had the insane urge to stop her. Protect her. Held it back. "Yeah. So Demotrix was the only one that got to...the others all tried but I learned early on that you guys are just as vulnerable as human men _there. _The others would all try to sneak up on me while I was either sleeping or distracted. But after the second guy grabbed my breast in my sleep, which was tiny back then, I got good at sleeping light and watching my back."

"Which one?" I interrupted her, not even bothering to mask my growl.

"What?"

"Which. One. Grabbed. You?" I asked from behind clenched teeth.

"Ezequiel," she answered in a small voice, almost as if she knew why I was asking. Ezequiel. Trapped within the lowest level of Nilflheim. Got it. And Elyf had no way of extending her reach there. So first chance I got...

"Like I was saying...what happened with Demotrix happened almost nine years ago. I'm not saying I'm fully over it or that I don't feel weird whenever I think about sex. God, I could write an essay about how disgusted I was whenever someone used to even say that word near me. But yeah, we need to do this now to stop Iy'tarias. Because of how we...feel about each other. And even if we didn't need to do it..." Bella trailed off, looking at her nails and picking them nervously.

"Even if we didn't..." I urged, my chest tight because of everything she'd said.

"I told you, I want to know what it's like. Everything else in my life has never been normal. At least as a woman...I just want to be normal in some way," she finished in a tiny voice.

I had to swallow three times before I could find my voice. Slowly grabbed one of her hands and caressed the back of it with my thumb. "Bella...tell me what do you need from me? Tell me what to do. I'll do anything."


	82. The Damned Bag

**Chapter 82**

**The Damned Bag**

* * *

***EPOV

Bella inhales shakily. Her thoughts are rushed. Fly towards that bag she'd been holding. The bag now on the one night stand in the room. Then she remembers that as long as I'm touching, I'm listening in. Actually caresses my hand once before slowly letting go. Rubs her hands over her face. Groans. I'm once again reminded that she might not be ready for this. "Bella..."

"I'm just embarrassed, ok?" she said, lowering her hands.

I shut up. Wait for her to say what she is going to need from me. It's not easy. I'm impatient. My body? It's downright homicidal, suicidal from the need.

"Slow," she says, nodding at me.

I nod back slowly. "Slow...what does that entail?"

"Can you go into my dreams at will?" she asks. I nod. I'm sure I can work something out with Greco. Something that ends with him disappearing real fucking quick once I'm in there.

"Ok. Good. We start in there."

"Bella, I have to ask again. Are you sure, little one?"

"I am. Besides...I have study material." And her eyes have flickered over to the bag. The damned bag.

_Huh_? "Bella...what's in that bag?" I asked, kind of afraid of what the answer would be. Knowing that it's probably going to destroy me.

"Nothing I haven't read before. Alice gave them to me. It's been a while, back then I was uncomfortable but now, after the dream..."

_Throb. _All at the reminder of the dream. "Bella, what's in there for the sake of the Gods?"

"Novels. Erotica. You know...study material."


	83. Some More of That

**Chapter 83**

**Some More of That**

* * *

***BPOV

"What?"

I'm regretting that I even said anything. The look in his eyes is odd. "I...I need to get more in touch with what I like. With what I'm comfortable with...although after that dream I'm pretty sure I have a really good idea of what I like...really like..." Help me something, I'm rambling. And the look in his eyes is getting...heavier. Those lids are lowering. "And then we can slowly try things out in the dream," I continued, biting my lip nervously.

"Wha..." he chokes. Swallows heavily. I'm oddly fascinated by the way his neck moves. "What type of things?"

It's hot in the tiny, moving room. Or maybe it isn't. Maybe it's just me suffering from some sort of disorder. Either way, I'm breaking out in sweat and I can't really breathe. "The, um, the kissing. That...that I was comfortable with." Under-fucking-statement of the century.

"I...kissing. Yeah, I could do that. I could so do that." His voice lowered at the end. It's almost like Edward was talking more to himself than me. Least of my worries. Number one worry? His eyes are now locked on my mouth. My body is failing. I'm feeling weak and aggressive all at once. "Ok," Edward continues, looking down at the bed. Licking his lips. "I can stick to the kissing."

"And the other stuff," I hear myself practically squeak. I'm mortified. But not when his head shoots up and his dilated eyes lock on with my own. "Yeah. I could so...do some more of the other stuff." Edward shoots off the bed, ending up against the wall, back slamming hard enough to make the R.V actually shake. He slides down to the floor and tugs hard on his hair. "Edward!" I cried, crawling over the bed, closer to the edge near him. "What's wrong?"

"Bella, I'm sorry. I'm just...having a hard time...control," he growls to himself. "Must keep control..."

"Edward..." but I'm clenching as I say it. It happens so fast I'm almost knocked off the bed from both the surprise of it and the wave of intense yearning that hits me out of nowhere.

Edward's head shoots up, his eyes nearly black. They locked with mine again. His nostrils flare ever so slightly. "Bella stay right where you are. I mean it. I'm so...I'm so fucking turned on I can't promise you I'll behave if you come any closer."

_Fuck me._

_I believe that's where you're heading with all this, yes?_


	84. Agreement Reached : Control Levels Wreck

**Chapter 84**

**Agreement Reached : Control Levels Wrecked**

* * *

**EPOV

She really needs to stop staring at me like that. Seriously. I'm going to have to crawl out of the fucking room stat if I'm going to stop myself from doing what I'm dying to do. And crawling is definitely the only option. Walking is definitely not going to be poss...

"How...what time is it?"

"Huh?" But I don't have to even touch her to instantly know what she means. Even as the sound leaves my mouth, it hits me. Hits me so hard I want to curl into myself and fucking _whimper. _

"I..." open my mouth but fail to continue. My chest is heaving against my will and with each inhale, things are getting worse. Common sense is disintegrating. Things are beginning to look beyond critical. "I..." Still failing.

"I'm sorry," Bella says, looking extremely embarrassed all of a sudden.

"No..don't...I told you..." And I know. I know that she's uncertain, that this is all new to her...that she wants me as much as I want her despite all of that. I can fucking smell it. Hence, I just pulled out some more of my hair. But it's up to me, I have to get it together. She says she wants this. Her thoughts up to now haven't spoken of a lie. The world does indeed depend on us.

Fuck my life, I'm going to have to take the reins. Problem? That involves me having control and with that control in my hands there's no knowing what I'll do. 'Cause I have good intentions. Trust me, I do. But those intentions aren't jack-shit in the face of so much fucking need.

"Tonight," I manage to get out, voice sounding like rough, abused air. "Start reading...or whatever else you want to do. Tonight when we go to bed..."

"Got it." And her voice sounds all breathless. Even...fuck me. There's eagerness there. I hear it. On that note...

"I gotta...just stay here for a bit? Please? I..." I see her nod, those too big eyes focused intently on me. In a flash, I force myself to make it out of the room. Slam the door to the one small bathroom. Know that I'm seconds away from doing something that fucking Jasper most likely will hear. Stare in the mirror and try to force myself to calm down and wait. Regardless, the first time I finally come...it's fucking going to be with her. No fucking doubt.


	85. Get in There Eduardus

**Chapter 85**

**Get in There Eduardus**

* * *

***EPOV

"You need to keep us separated. Even if she agreed..."

"I know. I got it. That's why you're staying out here," Jasper said, filling one of the syringes Alice had given him. She was currently in the back with Bella. I wanted to strain my hearing and see what the hell was going on but I had to make sure Jasper understood.

"Seriously. Even if I wake up raging and try to fling myself over there..."

"I still have my powers, dude. I got this. I won't let you rape the girl," Jasper commented, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

Fucker.

"One more thing," I said, clearing my throat and willing myself to let go of any embarrassment. "I'm sorry if your girl hears anything..."

"I'm knocking her out, too. I'll be damned if I let her hear another man in the middle of that."

Right. Ok...

Holy shit, mother of awkwardness.

"Relax, dude," Jasper said, clapping my shoulder. "It's going to be fine. Just lay down and let me tranq' you. I think Alice just finished with Bella."

I'm uncomfortable with the idea of Bella being drugged but they'd assured me it was a different and much weaker version of what they were giving me. Rolled my shoulders once before laying down on the long seat running across one side of the R.V.

I'm fighting both nerves and anxiety. Two things that as a male, let alone an Arch, I am not comfortable with. I'm definitely not comfortable with the fact that my body is pushing to flow blood into my cock _while _Jasper is hovering over me with a needle. Seriously, that shits too weird. But my body knows what's waiting for me in the dream world. It _knows_.

And it eagerly sucks in the tranquilizer the moment Jasper shoves the needle in my arm. Instant darkness, then I'm sucked face first into the other side. Prepared that I am to land in front of the mansion, imagine my surprise when I'm dropped straight into a room. One with a very large bed.


	86. Shuddering Breath

**Chapter 86**

**Shuddering Breath**

* * *

***EPOV

"It's so weird...knowing it's you now." She's sitting on the bed, facing me. Head tilted, hair flowing. Still in that white dress, the skirt flared out across the bed. Her legs are crossed under them. One move, I see a glimpse of those ballet shoes.

I lick my lips, trying to calm down the racing of my heart. The rushing of my blood. Where it was heading. Hah, fat chance. My blood was falling faster than a meteor being pulled down into Earth. "You...you danced ballet once?" I ask, sitting on the bed. Away from her body but right next to the edge of her skirt. Sad, but true, even that turns me on.

"I did," Bella says, nodding and blushing adorably. "My mother had me take classes when I was younger. I'm way better in here than I am in real life, though."

I'm eating it up. I love when she's open with me. When she tells me little things about her. I want to ask more but suddenly, she's moving. Slowly. Has risen up on her knees and is literally crawling up to me, looking unbearably uncertain. Unbearably delectable.

"Bella..."

"Did you mean it when you said that?" she asks, so fucking close now. Still crawling towards me.

"What exactly?" I ask, eyes heavy lidded as I watch her.

"That only I...you know..."

"Fuck yes," I whisper, having the most difficult time breathing.

"It's so much easier...I'm not as nervous in here. Why is that?" Bella asks, stopping right next to me.

"That's how dreams are," I said. Ended up hissing. Bella's small hand had wrapped around my neck and she used the hold to drag herself that much closer.

"You're serious? Never her? I'm not getting in the way of anything?" she whispers, her nose bumping against mine. Her breath caressing my lips.

"God, Bella. No. I'll never see that bitch again if I can help it," I groan, fighting the need to just tackle her. Don't have to. Bella let's out one shuddering breath and takes the decision from me again.


	87. Her World Her Rules Her ControlOr Lac

**Chapter 87**

**Her World Her Rules Her Control...Or Lack Of**

* * *

***EPOV

I can't help but groan. Loudly. Her upper lip is between my own and my bottom lip is cradled right inside her mouth. We don't move. We just breathe. Every muscle tensed. I'm fighting not to move. Not to just _eat_her. The bed under me starts slightly shaking just as Bella whimpered against my lips.

It's her world. She's in control of everything. Including me. I lost track of every single coherent thought in my head the moment Bella slowly sucked on my lip. Flicked her tongue. Bit down. My hands were ripping at the covers, almost tearing through them as I fought and fought with the heat roaring through me.

_It has to be her moves. It has to be..._

Bella exhaled sharply against my mouth and I'm punctured within my very reasoning by her taste. She cups my jaw and urges me to open my mouth. Like I need much urging. My jaw is shaking as I give her what she wants. The moment our tongues touch, I lose it. Thankfully, I'm not the only one. Bella nearly jumps on my lap. In a flash, I've flipped her over and have her on the bed.

A part of me expects her to tense. I forgot the hell lying within her veins just waiting to melt me. I'm leaning over her small form, softly stroking her tongue with mine, when Bella surprises me. Pulls me down hard. Slowly reaches down and begins caressing my side, her fingers slipping under my shirt. I jerk and moan into her mouth, nearly biting down on her. I freeze, panting harshly, lips pressed roughly against hers.

Bella's fingers don't stop. They caress my side, unleashing sensations that actually made my skin feel like it was breaking out into goosebumps even within the dream. The muscles in my back rippled as I tried to keep my hips from taking control. Bella flicked that tiny tongue against mine. Undulated her hips. Caught my dick with her heat and destroyed the last of my rationale.

And she was just beginning.

"Edward," she moaned lightly, sucking on my bottom lip.

"Fuck, baby girl, what are you trying to do to me?" I breathed heavily into her mouth.

"Take your shirt off. I want to see you," Bella said, pulling back at me to give the hottest, most heavy-lidded stare I'd ever seen.


	88. Near Bursting Point

**Chapter 88**

**Near Bursting Point**

* * *

***EPOV

I'm barely breathing as I kneel up on my knees between hers. Her spread ones. The skirt of her dress still covers her from my view. She's hungry to have more of me in hers. I'm scared of what this will lead to but know that I'll give her anything she wants. Anything. Even if it leads to the damnation of us both.

I rip my shirt off my head, freezing immediately at the high-pitched sound that leaves her. My arms are still trapped within the shirt and raised above my head as I kneel there panting. Heaving. Growling as I watch Bella move, her wide eyes locked hungrily on my chest. When I see her tiny hand raise up, I nearly lose my shit right there. My cock is throbbing inside the jeans, straining towards her. Bella touches me, her hand feather light against my upper abs. I jerk, arching backwards and moaning.

"You said you haven't...come...since you were alive?" she whispered, her hand flattening against my abs. Sliding down, the tips of her finger tracing every ridge.

"No. Haven't. _Fuck_," I gasped, body convulsing and barely staying still. I still haven't even lowered my arms down. I'm trapped, fighting back the need to rip off her dress and have her.

But this is her exploration. Her pace is golden here. Even if my body wants to implode because of it.

"I want to make you come."

Her voice is pure sin. My heart nearly bursts inside me. My cock is doing worse, literally bowing to her will. "Oh, fuck," I moan, opening eyes I hadn't even realized were closed. Watching that hand of hers slide lower. Closer.

"What the hell were you reading, girl? Where is this coming from?" I asked, my brow furrowed and voice like pure gravel as I watched. And felt. And fucking needed so bad I was going to come the moment she touched me and I knew it.

Bella giggled, the sound inflaming my blood further. My very veins expanded at the sound, grew larger. Almost burst inside me.

"It isn't just what I read," she admitted, moving so that she could sit up more. Her fingers brushed the edge of my jeans. Tickled too close. The moan that left me was nothing short of a plea. My shirt finally snapped off my arms like a rubber band and landed somewhere behind me. "It's what you make me imagine."

_Fucking hell._


	89. Exploration

**Chapter 89**

**Exploration**

* * *

***BPOV

My heart is hammering inside me like thunder in a violent sky. Emotions have torn me apart in my dreams before but what I'm feeling now is destructive. I'm never going to be the same again. Not with the sight in front of me. I'm torn between watching my hand and watching his face as I slide it lower. I have to stop and inhale once before I can push passed all the emotions warring inside me.

Fear. Need. Anxiety. Edward was staring down at me, massive chest heaving, green eyes thunderous. Fuck that, need was winning. By a long shot. I watched my fingers shake as I slowly lowered my hand. Watched _all_his muscles tense and ripple as he groaned. I couldn't decide where to keep my eyes. On his face or on the massive muscle I was now caressing.

"Fuck, Bella," Edward groaned, his head falling back and his neck tensing and releasing.

My mouth fell open. Huge problem because saliva was on over-production. I wrapped my hand fully around his cock. Gasped when it jumped and Edward almost fell back on me. I never thought...Jesus. I was fascinated. Something in me was awakening. Something that had to do with power. Another squeeze and it was obvious in the way he moaned and braced himself above me, hands on either side of me on the bed. I was in control. I had _him _in _my _control. Fucking addicted. I was that, too.

"Kiss me," I whispered, squeezing and running my hand up and down his erection. Not believing how turned on I was by him. I had no idea if I was going to feel the same way in the real world but the way his face looked, tense and slightly agonized as he leaned down towards me, it had me believing that fuck yes. This was going to transcend my dream world. Suddenly, I was dying to wake up. Dying to seek him out.

"You're killing me here," Edward groaned, kissing my lips lightly and bucking into my hand when I squeezed again.

"I like this," I whispered, sucking lightly on the corner of his mouth and hearing the surprised awe in my tone.

"By the Gods," Edward moaned lightly, making my toes curl. He gently cradled my head with one hand and kissed me. Kissed me deeply and softly, every inch of him shaking. He was holding back, I could tell. It sent more desire roaring through me. He wanted me. _That _way. And yet, unlike all the other men before, he wasn't forcing me. He wasn't pushing.

"Edward," I panted, letting go of his dick and grabbing the waistband of his jeans. "I need to touch you. These have to come off. Now."


	90. Of All The Holy Things to See

**Chapter 90**

**Of All The Holy Things to See**

**AKA: Nyddi's Dead. Fuck ME.**

* * *

***BPOV

He froze over me. He panted any harder, his breathing just might stop. That addictive thrill spiraled through me again. "Bella...are you sur..."

I already had the button on his fly open. It spread open, showing me the sprinkling of hair trailing lower. It turned me on. So fucking much. The bed started really shaking under us and I knew it was because I was too close to losing it. God, was he about to make me come for the first time just from touching him? The feelings running through me were tantalizing. Realizing that everything here was indeed in my control, I willed his zipper to go lower. Slowly. Edward's breath hitched. "Baby girl, you don't have to. Let me touch you," Edward pleaded.

"I want to," I argued, grabbing the flap of his jeans lightly and pulling it apart. "And you will. But let me touch you first. Let me learn you," I said, sliding one hand in. Instantly connecting. My loud moan was just as shocking as Edward's surprised cry. My heart was pounding erratically as I wrapped my hand around him. It was...again, shocking. New. He was so soft, so hard, so wide. "Edward."

"Shit. Fuck, wait. Oh, fuck."

Those sounds were it. The thing that eradicated the last of my doubts. Moaning lowly and repeatedly, I brought his dick out of his jeans. Wide eyed stared at it and was surprised I wasn't disgusted. Then again, how could I be? It was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen. My body was enthralled. Pounding at the sight of the moisture leaking out of his tip.

"I'm going...slow down. Baby, I'm too close," Edward groaned, staring at me from under his tense eyebrows.

"Oh my God," I whispered, cupping his cheek with my free hand. He was so fucking gorgeous. "Let me feel you. Let me see you. Please Edward." I tightened my grip on him as much as I could even though my hand couldn't make it fully around. Pumped up and down in the way I'd read. Watched him close his eyes tightly, air hissing out from his clenched teeth. Watched him start thrusting into my hand, his body nothing short of erotic with each movement.

"Baby," he moaned again, eyes snapping open and pupils unbelievably huge as he looked at me. Didn't break my stare. Lost control. Thrusts became erratic, his moans even more so and suddenly, he swelled in my hands. Grew. The moment he came it almost sent me nearly to the edge. His cock was spasming into my hand, a shiver rushed through his entire body, and then, right before my very eyes, his wings shot out, huge, black and spreading to full length behind him.


	91. So Much Worse

**Chapter 91**

**So Much Worse**

* * *

***EPOV

"Oh my God," Bella whispered, cupping my cheek with her free hand. Sending more sensations into me with one order and one order only. Fuck with the Arch. Wreck him for eternity. "Let me feel you. Let me see you. Please Edward," she pleaded softly, her voice raping my ears and seducing me further.

Pleasure ripped through me. Matter nearing the event horizon. Catastrophic. Destructive. Each squeeze of her hand. Every pass. My voice was ruined. Almost stolen from me as sensations rioted. I lost all semblance of reality. Nothing mattered anymore. My body rocked back and forth, my hips propelling my body into her hand.

"Baby," I heard myself moan. Even inside the dream the pleasure was intense, shooting into every nerve and weakening me. Even as it strengthened my body. I could feel every muscle raging. Couldn't take my eyes off her. Couldn't get over how delicious she was. How much I needed...

The orgasm hit out of nowhere. Like a projectile crashing inside my lower abdomen, it took over everything, freezing my upper body and destroying everything below my abs. I heard her tiny moan as my cock spasmed in her hand. My brain knew. It knew that this pleasure was merely in a dream and that when the time came and she touched me for real...I was fucked. More than literally. Every nerve shivered within me, sensation rushing and retreating. Too much. I lost control of the muscles in my back. Felt them snap back. Felt my wings shoot out.

Was leaning there, panting heavily and fighting the need to keep thrusting. To search out more. Until she did it. She moaned again. My eyes had momentarily closed but at the sound, they were open again. Open and focused. On her. So fucking mouthwatering. Her hand was still wrapped around my cock. My cum stained her hand. Her dress. Her eyes? On me. Eating me. Her chest heaving. Her mouth slightly open.

Her arousal drenched the air and I knew right then something wasn't right. Things were too realistic. Too intense. Fuck if I could focus on that. _Her. _She's the only thing I could focus on.I wanted to fucking devour her.

"Edward..." she whispered, awed eyes meeting mine.

I was on her in a flash. Had her pressed against me, my mouth hot on her jaw. "I need you," I groaned, licking and biting. Perhaps too hard. Definitely not as hard as I wanted to. "I need to fucking feel you. Make you come."

"Oh God, _please_," she fucking _pleaded_, her arms coming around me and snapping tight. Body bowing, head falling back, legs spreading further.

I heard myself hiss. Felt myself thrust, my cock hardening all over again. Knew this wasn't going to stop. No, it was about to get so much worse.


	92. What Are You Waiting For?

**Chapter 92**

**What Are You Waiting For?**

* * *

***EPOV

Our tongues were wrapped around each other. Don't even remember when it happened. Just know that I'm drunk and there's something rumbling inside me. Something stretching. Awakening. Gearing its monstrosity, preparing to ram.

I flashed us higher on the bed. Laid her against the pillows. Pulled back and stared into her eyes. Could've willed my jeans off but needed to see if she was still in this with me. So I grabbed them and started slowly lowering them.

Suddenly, they were gone. Just disappeared. Her eyes are back on my cock and I swear the fucker's so hard I have no choice but to thrust at the air. "You really need to stop looking at it like that," I panted, caressing her thigh through the dress.

"Why? It's nice," was her breathless reply.

Shit.

I gritted my teeth, feeling my lips tightening and exposing them. Suddenly, I had her dress fisted in my hands. Had to freeze. Pant. Bad idea, her scent was destroying me and making it harder for me to hold back. To not tear her dress. I just wanted it fucking off of her...

And suddenly, it was. Not by my doing. I gasped so loud it was nearly embarrassing. Not nearly as bad as the fact that my cock was leaking. Badly. I couldn't blame the poor thing. The fault lay with my eyes. They wouldn't stop _seeing. _

No bra. Black, tiny panties. Black ballet shoes. A body that had obviously been worked out and breasts that were too perfect. Too much.

She shifted. I saw her chest turn pink. Couldn't tear my eyes away from those pink, cute nipples long enough to stare at her face but knew she was blushing. Her arms came up, uncertain and ready to cover. Ready to take from me something I wasn't ready to give.

In an instant, I'd snapped my hands around them tight. Slammed her arms back onto the bed, a small part of my brain regretting how rough I was being. The fact that I wasn't giving her a choice. "You're so fucking beautiful...I want to just...just eat you," I heard myself roughly growl, my voice sounding different.

Bella gasped, her thighs shifting and opening further. An attack on me meant to further enslave me. And it worked. Especially when she opened that sexy little mouth and said the worst thing she could've ever possibly said. "Then do it. What are you waiting for?"


	93. Suck Bite Lave Sooth Tear

**Chapter 93**

**Suck. Bite. Lave. Sooth. Tear.**

* * *

***EPOV

I want. I need. Too much. Doesn't matter. I'm utterly flabbergasted and inflamed by the fact that she wants me that much. That whatever has happened before doesn't matter to her right then. Her body is slightly arching. Offering. All I want to do is give. Show her. Make her feel and see that it isn't about pain.

Fuck, no. I'm about to give the girl so much pleasure neither of us is going to survive.

"Edward...I need..."

"I know," I growl, one arm slamming against the headboard, fist bracing and grabbing. My other hand has slid under her, is cupping her tiny back. I lift her up at the same time I lean down. Capture her lips. She's ruthless, penetrating deep. I give her what she wants. Part of it. For two seconds. Swirl my tongue around hers before pulling away. "Tell me this is ok. One last time," I breath, licking a path down her throat. Fully intent on going lower whether she's fine with it or not and that's how I know I've entered the point of no return.

"Say it, girl," I groaned, biting her collarbone. Breathing harshly. Trying to push the beast back.

"If you make me beg one more time, I just might-"

I don't let her finish. Snap my teeth off her skin but only long enough to move lower. Raise her further. The taste of her skin solidifies the singular meaning of my existence. Her. It's all about her. Loving her. Having her. Protecting her. But not from myself. I can't anymore. Not when her nipple is so hard and it's a raw shock as I take it into my mouth.

"_Uh_!" she gasps adorably, shock and heat vibrating in her tone. Her body jerks. Arches. Her legs start moving restlessly on either side of me. I don't know what I'm trying to do. Fuck, I seriously think I'm trying to shove her entire breast into my mouth. Can't help it. Her tiny fingers are now in my hair, pulling viciously, and all I can do is nibble, suck, lave with my tongue as I pull back and look at the swollen, pink skin I'm leaving behind.

"You really are so gorgeous," I breath, kissing her nipple lightly.

"You really...fuck...need to do...something...fuck, please. It aches."

And I'm lost. More than I thought I was before. I let go of the headboard but not her. Hold her to me with one hand, grab her panties with the other.

Rip them off.

Because I've just realized that even though this is only a dream, it can only end one way with the way she's pushing it.


	94. To See is To Destroy Now Watch

**Chapter 94**

**To See is To Destroy. Now Watch.**

* * *

***EPOV

I dropped her. Back on the bed. Couldn't help it. Her breasts jiggled enticingly when she landed. The bed is shaking, about to break, and I'm no longer sure it's just her responsible. I'm staring with wide eyes and breathing so hard I sound like a bull about to attack. Fuck, I probably look like one, too. But I just can't help it. I can't...

I fucking can't, ok?

"Bella." Her name leaves my lips like a breathless exaltation. A prayer. No, a warning of what's to come. My eyes are...they're where they shouldn't be. Not if I'm going to stop myself from slamming her against the headboard and ramming home.

She's perfect. Too sexy for any man to resist. The thought sends fresh fury through me and suddenly I'm talking. Asking. "Are you like this in real life?" Because she's smooth. Smooth and perfect and when her legs moved, I could catch more glimpses. The pink. The wetness. That fucking little clit...

"I can be. If you like it," is her shy little response.

She keeps going back and forth. Vixen, demanding. Uncertain, shy. Killing me. "You'd be perfect either way," I respond honestly, arms tensing and shaking as I raise my hands. Lightly run my fingers up her thighs. She shakes and arches. Tenses, as well. "Is this what you really look like, baby girl?" I ask, knowing that her perception could very well be influencing what I'm seeing.

Bella shifts again, biting her lip. Making me bit mine in return. She gasps, her eye widening and pupils dilating. "I'm pretty sure. I know...Alice explained...looked in the mirror for a while earlier. Wanted you to see what I really look like...I...oh, God. You're wings. They're moving. So hot. Just...Oh, baby!"

"Mmmm," I hum around her nipple, having just pounced back on her. By some miracle I'm keeping my lower body away from her. My mouth is a whole other matter. And my hands? They're moving down her thighs, fingers trembling.

"Edward, so...it's feels so good." I love the awe in her voice. Love that I'm putting it there. Love even more what she says next. "Please. I need to...do something. Make the ache go away."

"I plan on it, baby," I breathe, looking up at her. "I plan on making you feel unbearably good." And I wrap my hands around her thighs, spreading her legs and getting ready to lick every inch.

And I do mean every. Single. Inch.


	95. Just Like That

**Chapter 95**

**Just Like That**

* * *

***EPOV

She's frozen under me. Her tiny chest is heaving. I lick my way down her breast, pausing long enough to softly bit down on the underside. I fucking love all that flesh in my mouth. Know I gotta be careful, even though this is a dream. If I can't stop myself from tearing flesh here then I most certainly won't be able to stop in real life.

I'm licking my way down her rib cage. Groan at her shuddering moan. Go lower, falling in love with her stomach. Her tiny belly button. Can't help but stop and swirl my tongue around it. Dip in. Her scent is too strong, hits me like a blast from a tornado. I have to stop. I make the mistake of inhaling deeply. Gotta keep my eyes closed because if I happen to look now, all bets are off.

All.

Bella moans my name again. Whispers something about how hot I look. I can barely hear her above the roaring of my own heart. Then, her hands land on my shoulders. Time slows down, my perception zeroing in on every little detail. On the fact that her fingers are shaking, too. On the fact that they're fucking moving, tickling my back.

Lower.

"They're so fucking beautiful," she whispers right before her fingers my contact.

My wings. She's caressing my wings. Very much a part of me and full of almost as many nerve endings as my cock. Again, the sensations are too realistic. I moan, biting down on the skin covering one of her tiny abs. Shake against her. Can't stop myself from pressing my hips to the bed. Thrusting, seeking relief. Unfortunately, the position also presses my upper abs against her. Against her wetness. Against the very thing I'm dying for. I moan one more time before sliding lower. Not low enough for her to lose her hold on my wings, just low enough to get close.

Open my eyes, looking up at her. She's looking down. Waiting. Anxious. I inhale one more time. "Baby," I whisper, working one of my hands between her body and mine. Trailing it down her thigh. Getting close enough to feel how wet she is. "Tell me I can touch you. Please."

"Why the fuck are you even still asking?" she angrily demands, her fingers tight as they clench around my wings. Her legs spreading further, inviting me in. Hips arching as much as my body will let her.

Offering herself to me. Just like I need her to. Just like that.


	96. Taste

**Chapter 96**

**Taste**

* * *

***EPOV

I watch her face. But only because I know I can't look down, yet. Know I'm too close, her fingers feel too good playing with my wings, and if I look down I'm going to sink my teeth into flesh that definitely wasn't meant for that. I've never felt so animalistic in my life. I could feel the fiend pounding at the fragile doors of my mind. Could feel all of my resolve weakening. I forgot everything. Her past. My own. Whatever lay beyond the immediate future that consisted of the next millisecond.

My fingers make contact. She moans. I don't even know how to describe the sound that leaves me. I bite through my lip, refusing to move my fingers, just resting them right on her lower lips.

"Where..." but I've choked again. Bella is shaking under me. I'm not a fucking novice, I know this. It's time for me to take control of this situation and give the girl what she needs. But that's preposterous. How the hell do I take something she had completely taken from me? "Where'd you get the idea to do this?" I finally ask softly, running my finger down one smooth lip.

My girl is almost beyond answering. She almost flies off the bed and I'm fascinated by the reaction of her body. "Read it. Thought you'd lik..._ooooh. _Oh, fuck. _Edward_," Bella gasps, her wide eyes focused on the ceiling, her hands grasping me hard.

I pressed two fingers against her. Slowly spread her lower lips. Saw how wet she was. Her clit throbbed towards me. _Mine, _was the single thought that ran through my head. I pressed into her clit. Felt her get wetter. My name was leaving her lips on a breathless litany. Desperate to see and feel her, I pressed harder, feeling her gush against my fingertips.

"Edward. _Yes. _God, too...please. _Ungh_, fuck. I..."

Her voice is my new addiction. Every sexual part of her is. I own it. Own every bit of the erotic creature coming to life beneath me. In a throbbing haze, I lean closer. Kiss her pelvic bone. The light 'V' trailing down. Her hips are undulating with every pass of my fingers. Bravely, I press harder. Swirl faster. Get drenched in return.

She's so fucking close, _I _can feel it. Suddenly, I'm kissing down her thigh, her scent entrapping and guiding me. Bella freezes under me although little sounds keep leaving her. I know she's hesitant but I need this. I need it too bad. "Please," I whisper, flicking my tongue against the skin I'd just been kissing. "Let me make you come like this. Let me taste you," I plead, licking her inner thigh again.

Bella inhales shakily. Exhales on a moan. Moves slightly, her hands letting go of my wings. Her fingers slide into my hair. I can feel she's still hesitant. Was about to pull away. But then, Bella seemed to relax under me and her voice hit me at the same time as she raised her legs and spread her thighs.

"Ok," was a her cute, breathless response.

I growled, biting her inner thigh before diving right in.


	97. The Need For More

**Chapter 97**

**The Need For More**

* * *

***EPOV

I ran my tongue right up her slit. Her taste was enough to push me. All of a sudden, I'm thrusting into the bed and holding her thighs open forcefully so I can lick her roughly. Bella's upper body has risen off the bed, she's let go of my head and is leaning on her elbows. I hear her frantically moaning. Hear her gasp when my wings flap violently at the air.

I can't pay attention to anything but her sweet taste and the way her clit feels against my tongue. I growl violently, licking lower. Felt her throb. Licked around her opening and that's when Bella started thrusting against my face, silently telling me what she wanted.

What she needed.

What _I _fucking needed.

My cock was rock hard and throbbing against the bed. Every rock of my hips tickled the sensitive flesh. I'm on the verge and the moment I push my tongue just a little bit in...

"Holy shit! Fuck! Edward, wha..._uhhhhh_!" Bella trailed off, her body clamping down around my tongue and her body almost falling into a seizure under me.

Her taste gushes into my mouth. Coats each part of my tongue. My orgasm slams hard, fueled by every part of her that she's giving me. My nerves light up, fire off, spiral out of control. My eyes somehow remain open enough to look at her. See her face. See her as she falls against the headboard, eyebrows tense and mouth deliciously open as she comes.

I'm focused on her even as I'm coming hard as fucking hell. Slide my tongue out of her. Suckle softly on her clit and very slowly replace my tongue with my finger. I'm moaning, licking, still fucking coming against the bed and her walls are squeezing the hell out of my finger.

Too good.

Fucking perfect.

"I need more," I had the nerve to beg even as my cock squirted one more time onto the bed.

"Me...too. _Edward_."

I had her instantly in my arms. Let go, grabbed her, lifted her up into my arms as I raised up and sat back on my legs.

Slammed my lips against hers right as I felt her wet slit slide up the length of my cock.


	98. Bloody Interim: Interruption Prelude

**Chapter 98**

**Bloody Interim: Interruption Prelude**

* * *

***EPOV

I held her, one hand tight around the back of her neck, the other harsh around her hip. Kissed her, moaning into her mouth and flexing my hips. Feeling. So ready to dive into her, take her, claim what was mine and mine alone. Bella clung to me, small hips moving and obviously in need of the same thing I needed. I pulled away. Gasped. Launched at her neck, attacked, tilted her body and molded mine on top of hers. It was obvious where this was heading. What I was about to let myself do. Fuck, what _she _was about to let me do.

And I was being eaten alive just thinking about it. We were more than primed. Anxious for it. I was going to take her in that dream and barely anything could stop me. But the one thing that could, did. I was licking and biting my way down her neck when it happened. I gasped, rearing back as I felt and heard the surge of power ripping through the outside world.

"Edward?" Bella asked, chest panting and hands still grabbing at me.

"Bella, you need to wake up," I rushed out, jumping off the bed and materializing my clothes in a flash.

"Wha..."

"Bella!" I cried, appearing next to her again and grabbing her face so she'd look me in the eye. I was enraged. Murderous from what I could feel happening in the waking world. "You need to wake up, little one. As soon as you do, arm yourself. I'm serious."

"Edward...what the..."

"Bella!" I snapped, the fear that I wouldn't wake up in time to protect her infuriating me. "Listen to me, try to wake up. I'll meet you out there. Arm yourself immediately, got it?" I waited long enough for her to nod. As soon as she did, I raised my energy levels, purposely shocking my own self. Hoping that it would work and that the sedative I was under wasn't too strong.

I could feel what was happening outside. Recognized the burst of power that had slashed through. The moment my eyes shot open, I realized that whatever it was had retreated. Didn't matter. I saw Jasper trying to wake Alice up out of the corner of my eye. Saw that the R.V. was stopped on the middle of the long, empty highway. None of that mattered. I was out of my seat in a flash and heading towards the back of the R.V.

Was barely two feet away from the door when it burst open and Bella walked out, a '45' aimed and pointed at my face. I froze, putting my hands up and barely holding back my relieved and amused smirk. Tried my best to ignore how fierce the little one looked and what that combined with the memories was threatening to awaken in my body.

Bella looked around, her wide eyes clearly trying to locate the threat. "Did you wake us up for no reason?" she asked, squinting her eyes dangerously at me.

It wasn't lost on me that she still had the gun pointed at my face. "No...I..."

_"Eduardus. There's been a breach. We're sending back up."_

Holy shit. Markonius.


	99. Bloody Interim : Weapons Dispatched

**Chapter 99**

**Bloody Interim : Weapons Dispatched**

* * *

***EPOV

"Edward?"

I haven't answered her. The shock of finally hearing Markonius after more than a week has me immobilized. Then, I snap out of it and rush back towards the front, eyes locked on Jasper. "He's contacting me directly. How fucking bad is it? I felt the _berfutsu_," I snapped, seeing Alice finally waking up. Heard Bella's gasp behind me. Knew that she knew what that word meant. _Berfutsu _was the name of Iy'tarias' elite guard. His specially trained demon force.

And I knew in that moment, just knew, that they were the ones who'd been sent to kill her parents. Why, I'd explore later. Right now, I had to keep her safe.

"They flew overhead. Seemed to be on the lookout. Then they disappeared," Jasper said, handing Alice a gun and heading for the bag of weapons behind the driver's seat.

I had already guessed as much. I couldn't feel their energy around us anymore. But Markonius had just spoken to me and I knew how bad it had to be. _Markonius, _I reached out, hoping he'd answer. _What's heading towards us?_

_"Elyf's wrath. The entire counsel has turned against her now, including her father. She has gone too far. She saw where you were on one of the scribe mirrors. Saw who you were with. She's joined forces with Iy'tarias..."_

"What the fuck?" Jasper and I cried out in tangent and I knew right then that he, too, could hear Markonius.

_"We're sending down your armor and weapons. Reinforcements will be there as soon as we can unlock the veils between the dimensions."_

"She fucking got to those, too?" Jasper growled outloud.

"It's that bitch, isn't it?" Bella asked from behind me, surprising me and making me turn towards her.

_"Incoming, Archs."_

But Emmett was already right outside our R.V., and just as a crack was heard above, I saw him spread his arms out and catch a huge 'chest'. I dematerialized, appearing right next to him and catching the other one. The energy coming out of them was familiar. Welcomed.

"Dude, they're going to come back. There's a gas station over there and I can sense people," Emmett said, eyes grim as he stared at me.

"We've got to get in these. Hurry," I said, rushing back inside the R.V and slamming the chest onto the table.

"What's in those?" Bella asked right as I opened it.

"Armor. Our weapons. Here," I said, flinging a long sword at Jasper. His armor was next. Beneath it was my own and most welcomed of all, my mace. My glowing, black, huge motherfucking mace. Between the weapons and the grenade launchers, there's got to be a chance. "We've got minutes at most. There's no way they're not coming back. Suit up," I said, mere seconds before a massive screeching sound was unleashed into the air.


	100. Bloody Interim : Armored and Primed

**Chapter 100**

**Bloody Interim : Armored and Primed**

* * *

***BPOV

The _bersfutu _are coming. Out of the corner of my eye, outside the R.V's window, I can see the sky darkening. Can see the winged shapes that are reminiscent of a pother overcoming the areas they passed by. But I'm not really focused on that. The world is 'ending' and yet I cannot tear my eyes away from what's in front of me.

Oh, no.

Black. I see black that has nothing to do with the sky above. Shiny, metallic, it's covering every inch of him...wings. I see fucking wings, again.

And I can't think. I can't function. The gun I'm holding almost slips out of my hand. _Meh_, what do I care? Edward's in armor. Dangerous, vicious looking armor. With the wings. They're out now. Real life. Curled into him due to the size of the R.V but they're there and I'm just..._ungh. _I'm still looking at him when he turns and walks towards me.

"You stay behind me, you hear me? You stay near me and let me protect you."

I'm looking up at him with wide eyes and I'm pretty sure I'm gaping. This will not do for him, obviously, because suddenly he's grabbing my face and even through the leather gloves he's wearing, I feel _heat._

"Bella, answer me."

So, I blink. A fluttering of weak eyelids. Exhale shakily. Can't function passed the dangerous and dark sexiness standing before me.

"Bella?"

"_Uhh..._" is the only little sound that leaves me.

Edward's brow lowers, his eyes confused as he stares at me. At my open mouth. Then, something hot flashes in his eyes. His nostrils flare slightly. I'm quivering and barely holding myself up as the memories of what he did to me in the dream hit scalding against my mind. "Oh, fuck," Edwards whispers. Breathes. I swear I taste his breath on the air.

Chaos is beginning to rain down outside yet all we can focus on is each other. And Edward steps even closer to me, his hand tightening around my chin and his eyes hungrily locked with my mouth. "Bella can I..." I nod before he's even done and suddenly find myself lip locked with him. Soft, electrifying. And we don't even open our mouths. Just breathe harshly against each other as if we both know that if we move, we're going to lose it.

It's my first real life kiss and it's beyond perfect. He's so delicious I feel like something in my gut is about to cave and collapse from the hunger. Edward pulls back, exhaling roughly against my mouth. He groans, the sound making me clench my thighs so hard I almost lose my balance. He presses his lips to mine again, this time harder than the last. "You taste so good," he groans harshly, his hand tight around my face.

I whimper, unable to stop myself as he pulls away. "Promise me, Bella. I need to know you're going to..."

"Ok," I breathe, caught by the look in his eyes. He kisses my forehead one more time.

"Good. Anything happens to you and I'm done for, I hope you understand that." And he turns away from me, leaving me there a trembling, turned on, confused mess even as I hear the chaos truly erupt outside.


	101. Bloody Interim : Trained Offensive

**Chapter 101**

**Bloody Interim : Trained Offensive**

* * *

***BPOV

Emmett flashes into the R.V. Rosalie is in his arms. He's also in armor and it's when Edward steps away that I can somewhat think enough to see that Jasper and Emmett are kissing their women. They separate. As one, all three men flash outside. My heart wants to jump right out of me. I rush to the window, pretty much pressing my face to it.

Realize that the screeches in the air seem like that of an army but in reality, the demons slashing through the sky are in about three groups of dozens. No more.

"They think it's going to be easy to bring us down," I hear Rosalie say behind me. Turn and see her standing there, holding out a grenade launcher. "What they don't know is that they have their armor. With it, their powers multiply. And us?" she says, looking at Alice and smirking. "We're not defenseless. Now are we?"

I realize that she's offering me the grenade launcher. "I don't know how to work it..."

"Simple. You aim. _Away _from any of our men. This right here launches the grenade. An oversized gun, really. I have faith in you," Rosalie said, handing me the heavy as fuck thing and patting me on the arm with a smile.

I hear a huge slam outside. A sound equivalent to stone slamming against stone. I turn back to the window just in time to see at least six of those red fuckers flying passed the window, blood actually arching through the air. On the other end? Edward, arm extended, mace out. My mouth falls open and I swear, I almost choke at the sight.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Alice asks, smiling while loading a machine gun.

Another crack sounds out and out of the corner of my eye I see Jasper running through another four of them with his sword. People are starting to rush out of the gas station. It's a disastrous situation. My breath catches and this time it's in fear for the people since a bunch of those demons instantly turned towards them, their faces hungry and excited. I want to cry out and almost do just as I see Emmett appear out of nowhere, placing himself between the people and the demons.

"We have to get out there," I said, forgetting that I'm just a fragile human. "We have to help them."

"Already planning on it," Rosalie says right after, a hard look on her face as she kicks the door to the R.V open.


	102. Bloody Interim: Insignificant Assault

**Chapter 102**

**Bloody Interim: Insignificant Assault**

* * *

***BPOV

A demon appears right in front of Rosalie as she opens the door. Her gun is in its face so fast, I swear I didn't see her move, and then she just blew its head right off. I'm beyond impressed and I also know that I'm going to have to somehow keep my cool just like she'd doing if I want to get through this. Problem is, I haven't been face to face with those beasts since the night a group of them killed my parents. Just looking at their red skin from yards away was sending cold flashbacks through me.

I won't lie, seeing how easily Edward and the others are kicking their asses did reassure me. I swallowed past the fear and made sure there was a grenade loaded. Alice came up to me just as I was checking and placed a sack of extras at my feet.

"Avoid the gas station for God's sake. Stay right at the door of the R.V. Any farther and Edward will be too distracted. I'm going to stay near you so he doesn't have an apoplexy..." she stops and we both turn towards the door at the sound of another screech. Rosalie is now outside and she's blowing off heads at a speed that's definitely not normal.

I don't have time to think about it, though. Alice pulls on my arm, urging me to walk with her towards the R.V's door. I scowl, realizing that the grenade launcher, while heavy, isn't impeding my steps the way it should. My mind turns over, trying to figure out what the hell is happening in the middle of the chaos howling outside.

Even crazier is that once I'm at the door and I kneel, preparing to lift the grenade launcher in my arms, it easily comes up. I'm able to aim it right off my shoulder like it's nothing. Alice stands in front of me and her machine guns start going off, her aim catching and blood splattering as the _bersfutu _fall.

More are coming. I see them filling the sky. Hear Emmett calling out commands, ordering the humans to rush back inside the gas station's convenience store and lock themselves inside. I see Jasper kicking two demons back just as four more are rushing to his back. He seems oblivious. He's not turning in time. I take aim, not even thinking, not even realizing that my vision seems to be zooming in way more than it should, and fire.

The grenade shrieks through the air. Jasper ducks right in time as it takes the four _bersfutu _heading towards him and blows up in their midsts. Body parts fly. I close my eyes but not fast enough. I still see appendages, blood, and flesh torn apart. When I open my eyes it's because everything has gone momentarily silent. The _bersfutu _have turned and all of their black eyes are focused deliriously on me.

No one is moving. Which is fine. I stare right into the eyes of the closest demon and lock stares as I reach into the bag next to me and load the grenade launcher. Alice raises her gun. The clack of the grenade sliding into place actually seems to echo across the landscape.

Chaos erupts once more as all the _bersfutu _seemed to take off towards me just as I raise the launcher and aim once more.


	103. Bloody Interim: Power Emergence

**Chapter 103**

**Bloody Interim: Power Emergence**

* * *

***BPOV

Five of them are merely three feet from me and Alice when I feel something within me snap. The fear flips on it's head. All I can hear are my parents screaming. My brother's cries for help. Raw adrenaline shoots through me as I lock eyes with one. Aim the launcher right between its eyebrows. My muscles are literally swelling, energy is coursing through me. My aim doesn't fail. Somehow, the launcher becomes even lighter and I raise it higher.

Shot it. Watched as the grenade went right through the forehead of one demon and actually take out another two behind it. The blast goes off fifteen feet away. More body parts fly. This time, I feel detached. I'm actually watching the gruesome sight as I reach into the bag and grab another grenade.

I'm moving just as fast as Rosalie and Alice. I realize, once more, that something's up but can't stop to think about it. I send out another grenade. Turn to see Alice smack one demon that got too close with her machine gun. She hits it hard enough for its head to crack open, snapping its neck almost in half. I freeze. Something is definitely up.

The back of my head burns. It's almost as if something is whispering in the back of my mind and scratching at the fibers. One demon lands next to me. I don't even look at it as I swing the launcher out with one hand. I'm staring off into space as it connects. Hot liquid lands on my face just as I hear another crack. I know it's blood. I should be freaked out. But I can't _move._

_"Bella, just go with it. I will explain all as soon as I can."_

Markonius. I gasp, surprised at hearing his voice after what seems like so long. I'm distracted long enough for another demon to get too close. Just as I manage to look up, expecting it to grab me, Edward lands next to me, huge wings flapping so hard the resulting wind almost makes me lose my balance. His face is enraged. I've never seen anything like it. I'm stuck between being scared and, shockingly, turned on more than ever before. Whatever energy is coursing through me roars at the sight of him.

"_You_..." Edward growled, pointing his mace right at the _bersfutu_'s face, "...just made the biggest mistake in your pathetic assistance."


	104. Bloody Interim: Composed Annihilation

**Chapter 104**

**Bloody Interim: Composed Annihilation**

* * *

***BPOV

Edward swings, the mace slashing violently across the demon's neck. He's moving so fast, I know I shouldn't be able to see it, but I can. His swing leaves behind a trail in my vision. An echo of where his arm was as it moves through the air. My mouth is hanging open as I watch him break the demon's head apart. Another appears, landing behind him. Edward turns on one foot, spinning around with the mace held out. It connects, breaking that one apart, too.

Another _bersfutu _comes shrieking at Edward but before I can even think about it, I've blown it to bits.

"She's good, isn't she Edward?" Alice asked, smiling over her shoulder, shooting blindly, and somehow still shooting through the demons.

They're landing in groups now. Even though we seem to be holding our own, there's obviously a never-ending supply. "What are you doing?" Edward snaps, appearing in front of me and looking vicious.

Yet another one lands behind him. I raise the launcher one-handed, aim it over his shoulder, and shoot. "I don't know. Helping maybe?" I ask, tilting my head at him. He's looking at my arm with a tense brow, his jaw tensing and releasing. He looks so dangerous that I have to stop and bite my lip as another rush of energy goes through me.

Seriously, what the fuck is happening to me?

"Bella..." Edward growls while still sounding dangerous. His nostrils flare just as he slowly looks up at me, eyes flashing under those too long eyelashes. "I don't care what's happening; you made me a promise..."

"So turn around," I say, hearing how breathless I sound. "I'll stay right behind you and fire this thing."

"Smart ass," Edward grumbled, turning around just as a large form sliced through the air, its white wings spread out behind it. It landed with a large sonic-like boom that actually knocked me back into the side of the R.V. I groaned, surprised that I wasn't more hurt and that I hadn't dropped the grenade launcher. I blinked, trying to bring the world back into focus. A dangerous, barbaric sound rumbled through the air. I recognized it as Edward. I was wondering what on fucking Earth was causing him to make that sound when I looked up.

Saw what it was. _Who._

"_YOU_," Edward all but barked as my wide eyes landed on the white winged _monster _smirking audaciously at us.

My brain couldn't wrap around...I just...rage spiraled through me, matching the rage I could hear in Edward's voice.

_Ezekiel._


	105. Bloody Interim: Face Off

**Chapter 105**

**Bloody Interim: Face Off**

* * *

***BPOV

How did he get here? What the fuck? Markonius had said he was imprisoned! I'm so furious I'm seconds away from raising my grenade launcher and aiming it right at that disgusting son of a bitch.

"Don't you dare," Edward growls, looking at me over his shoulder and surprising me with those red eyes again. "He's fucking mine. I'm going to be the one that kills him."

"Lookie here," Ezekiel drawled, his eyes bouncing gleefully between Edward and I. "Looks like she's sucked you in, too."

"You're fucking dead for even looking at my woman," Edward snarled. "Bella, stay right there. Blow heads off. But leave this asshole to me," and he takes off, cold, dangerous and calculating steps leading him passed the chaos around him. Jasper is off to the left and he's chasing down a group of demons. Leading them straight towards Emmett who is there, massive sword ready. Rose and Alice are to my right, also shooting. For some reason I don't see any more _bersfutu _landing. It's like the back-ups were no longer being sent it.

I think I knew why. It was because of _him_. They thought Ezekiel was going to be it. The fact that Iy'tarias could go as far as to free him...but he didn't. I realize that instantly. They'd mentioned the little cunt that was after Edward. She was on the counsel. If anyone was responsible for this shit...

I watch, jaw twitching, as Edward and Ezekiel walk towards each other. Slow. I raise the launcher. Out of nowhere, eight of the remaining demons take off towards Edward. I manage to blow one of them away. I'm busy reloading as fast as I can while another one comes too close to him. He flings his arm out. Connects with it, blood splatters arching in the air. It's head flew off so fast it left a trail. Another one came roaring towards his left side. Edward barely stopped long enough to flip the mace into his other hand and on a rotation slammed it beneath the jaw of the demon, splitting its head in two.

I watched the macabre sight of it's jaw parting in half, it's tongue rolling out, the demon's brain falling right out as the rest of it's head caved apart. An odd part of me wants to still look, to continue watching as the almost headless body falls to the ground but I can't keep my eyes locked on that. I catch a movement out the corner of my eye, making me turn. My head flips around in time to see Edward and Ezekiel get within three feet of each other.

Immediately, the hits start raining down. And none of them, none, are Ezekiel's.


	106. Bloody Interim: Justified Retribution

**Chapter 106**

**Bloody Interim: Justified Retribution**

* * *

***BPOV

Ezekiel launched a hit, his body propelling itself at top speed across the small space remaining between him and Edward. I saw it. But the moment he got close enough, Edward actually managed to grab him by the neck. Dragged him the rest of the way. The moment his mase connected with Ezekiel's face, a loud crack echoed, followed closely by Exekiel's muffled scream.

Alice skid to a halt next to me. Her gun was going off at top speed. "Bella!" she cries, clearly trying to get my attention. But I can't look away nor pull my attention back into focus long enough to shoot the launcher. All I can do is stare as Edward flings Ezekiel away from him, grabs him by one of his wings, and like a rag doll pulls him back into his waiting fist. The mase is discarded by his feet. Another crack rings out. Edward throws Ezekiel so hard on the floor that a small crater is left as his body goes three feet into the ground.

"Girl, as hot as it is to see your man defending you like this, aim that thing and shoot!" Alice screams, snapping me slightly out of it just as one demon lands next to me. I didn't have enough time to load so I just swung the launcher, again surprised at how freaking _light _it seemed and the fact that it was steadily getting lighter. The demon screeched, its body flying into the side of the R.V. nearly causing it to tilt over. "What's going on with us?" I scream above the roar around us, turning to look at Alice.

My attention is once more caught by Edward. His wings are flapping angrily behind him as he reaches for Ezekiel. Pulls him up. A _bersfutu _lands behind him. Not turning his attention away from Ezekiel, he back-kicks the demon so hard that its chest cracks open. Edward's fist connects over and over again and I'm mesmerized by the blood spewing out. By his rage. Rage I know is there because of _me._

"You're going to go back to that bitch, you hear me?" I hear Edward say, voice tight and furious. "You're going to tell her what a fucking failure it was to release you. You're going to make it very clear to her that the next time I see her, I'm going for her fucking neck. None of you are going to touch Isabella. Do. You. Fucking. Understand?" he asked, the last part getting lost behind the repetitive hits of his fist as it connected with Ezekiel's head.

"Uh...dude?" Emmett said, landing behind Edward. "He's not gonna be alive to deliver that message if you don't stop."

It was then that I looked around, surprised at Emmett's appearance. Saw Jasper flying towards us. Saw the last remaining _bersfutu _flying away, apparently retreating. Knew, regardless of appearances, that it wasn't over. Especially when the adrenaline coursing through me began to retreat and I was forced to face the fact that something was definitely _very_ wrong with me.

"Bella!" I heard Alice cry just as coldness slammed into me and I felt the world rush up sickenly as I fell to the ground.


	107. Bloody Interim: Withdrawal and Aftermath

**Chapter 107**

**Bloody Interim: Withdrawal and Aftermath**

* * *

***EPOV

"Edward! You're gonna kill him!"

I hear Emmett. I do. But I'm enraged, I can't even breathe, all I can do is let the fury pour out of me. The fucker underneath me is unconscious. Has been so for at least the last five minutes. I'm covered in blood. Of demons and his. It's not enough. I know, in the rational part of my mind, that I want him alive to deliver the message, but I can't stop. All I see is him, smirking at _my _Bella with that look. The very same look he must've fucking had while with her, charged to fucking protect her but instead trying to hurt her. To _have _her. And that thought is enough to send more acid through my veins. I think I've started kicking his broken form when I hear Alice scream out Bella's name.

It knocks me out of it faster then the world ending could. In a flash, I've forgotten all about Ezekiel and I'm flown across to where I see Bella, next to the R.V. On the ground. In the midst of what seems to be a seizure while Rosalie and Alice try to hold her still. "Move!" I scream, ripping my bloody gloves off and landing next to my girl. I have her in my arms instantly. Almost recoil at how cold she is. "What happened?" I scream, looking between Alice and Rosalie.

"I don't know. She just fell. She was steadily getting stronger throughout the fight and then as soon as everything started calming down..."

I close my eyes, holding Bella to my chest. Yell out for Markonius because every instinct in my body tells me that this has to do with whatever lies dorment inside of Bella.

"_Get her inside the R.V. You all need to move. They've retreated for now but they will be back in larger numbers."_

_What's wrong with her? _I yelled inside my mind.

"_Edward...she's the prototype of what would eventually lead to the new Archs. I'll tell you more once you're on the road. For her sake, get moving!"_

My brain is firing off and burning with questions but I decide to listen to him, for now, and raise Bella up into my arms. "We have to go," I said, rushing towards the entrance of the R.V. I hear Jasper telling Emmett to follow us and stay close. I storm up the steps of the R.V. and keep going until I'm inside the small room. Lay Bella on the bed. Place my hand on her face and am surprised by her voice, loud and clear.

"_Fuck. Edward, this hurts!"_

I rear back. Swallow. A thought crosses my mind before I can stop it. _Bella. God, you've got to be ok..._

"_I think I am, but still, it hurts!"_

This time, I almost fall off the bed, the surprise that she heard me slapping me hard.

_Holy shit._


	108. Induced Evolution

**Chapter 108**

**Induced Evolution**

* * *

***EPOV

I sit on the bed and gently lift her into my arms. Materialize new clean clothes and get rid of the blood all over both of us. I cradle her and then, hand shaking and slightly thinking I'm going insane, touch her cheek again. _Bella?_

"_Edward, I'm cold. What's happening? I can't get the shaking to stop. Can't talk!"_

I inhaled shakily, hugging her harder. The R.V. starts moving just as Alice opens the door and steps in looking worriedly at us. I stare up at her. Remembered how I saw her moving on that highway. Remembered that Rosalie had been just as fast. "Alice...what is up with you guys?" I asked her, my mind racing, my thoughts pointing in one direction.

"I..." Alice stops right in front of the bed and looks at me worriedly. Bites her lips. Finally, she inhales and I watch her shoulders rise and fall. "I'm not allowed to tell you. Markonius made that very clear but...but this thing that's happening to her has to do with that. I'm sure of it."

I turn my head, my nostrils flaring in anger. I don't say anything else to her. If she wants to follow Markonius' orders fine, I'd just have to go to the source. _Markonius_, I growl in my head, reaching out to him with every bit of my consciousness. A part of me is daring him to ignore me now that everything is so insane. When I hear Markonius finally speak, my entire body feels a modicum of relief.

"_Eduardus, I might not have much time to tell you everything. I had to leave our home dimension in order to communicate with you without running the risk of being caught by Elyf."_

_I thought the counsel wasn't on her side._

"_They aren't but she has Octair on her side."_

Octair, the guardian. He stood guard at the entrance between the viels leading in and out and as such could usually not only see everything within the dimensions but could also hear everything as well.

"_Most of his powers were stripped as soon as they realized he was helping Elyf and Iy'tarias but he still has enough to pose a problem."_

"_Edward!"_

I jumped, Bella's voice and her body convulsing in my arms snapping me to attention. _Markonius, what the hell is happening? Tell me how to help her, she's in pain!_

"_There's nothing you can really do at this point. It's all up to her."_

_What the hell does that mean?_

"_It means that her biological form has begun to change and just like every Arch ever created, the only way she'll survive the change is if she accepts it. There is no other way."_


	109. Moirai

**Chapter 109**

**Moirai**

* * *

***EPOV

_What the fuck are you talking about? What do you mean..._ but I don't finish. What for? The pieces are falling together and in a flash I see Emmett and Jasper's women, each moving too fast and fighting with too much strength. _They're fucking...they're Archs? _I ask Markonius, my brain twisting with the fact that I hadn't picked it up from _anyone's _thoughts.

"_I had to change them. Destiny called for it and they both almost died. Again, I'm sorry it was hidden from you..."_

_You need to stop fucking hiding shit from me! _I railed silently, seething as I held Bella tighter and heard her mentally cry out.

"_When I say that up to now, I had no choice, I mean it. The Moirai have decided this from the very beginning of time. You were to be the first Arch born upon a sacrificial death. Bella..."_

_Bella is what?_

"_Evolution. Since you, they all had to be near death for their bodies to accept the change. Bella is destined, if she so chooses, to become the first human being to evolve since the original evolution of the species."_

_And you're saying the fucking Fates decided this?_

"_Yes. The moment Iy'tarias turned his back on what is good, a new energy was created that was meant to rise up and fight him. Two souls created within the maelstrom. That was the two of you. It's the connection you both share to each other."_

And the very same reason why I'd been willing to die for a child I'd never met. Bella shivered violently again. I tightened my hold on her, cupped her face and cradled it against my neck. She was in agony, I could hear that, but the thing I heard above it took me by surprise.

"_Tell him I choose. Tell him I said yes!"_

_You can hear him?_

"_She can hear anything you do, Eduardus," _Markonius responded. _"As of right now, your connection can only remain open as long as you're touching. Later on, it will remain open even from afar, as long as you both choose so."_

_She says she chooses this. She says yes. Make her pain stop already!_

"_I can't. It's going to take a few days for the change to finish. The only thing you can do now is stay with her and make her comfortable. And above all, protect her. Iy'tarias will be even more afraid of you two now for when your powers unite during that ritual, he runs the risk of losing his hold on that dimension. Once the change is done, she will be that powerful. Her powers will amplify yours. Together, you'll both be pretty much unstoppable and combined...the powers unleashed will be damn near apocalyptic for any evil within that dimension. Any."_


	110. Closer

**Chapter 110**

**Closer**

* * *

***EPOV

_Jasper, _I reach out, kneeling on the bed next to Bella. _How far are we from the destination?_

"_About ten hours. We crossed the Mexican border nine hours ago. I'm trying to keep to the deserted highways and you know that Markonius gave us the go ahead to keep the shield up. How is she?"_

I reached up and tucked a strand of Bella's hair behind her ear. Let my fingers rest on her cheek. _Baby girl?_

"_Edward," _I heard her voice whisper through my mind. _"It's not as bad..." _But she still couldn't talk to me. Couldn't open her eyes. Her temperature was still abnormally low and her body was still shivering here and there. _"Edward...can you...come up here?"_

I knew what she was asking. I had started seeing the images flying passed her thoughts a few hours ago. I wasn't just hearing what was on her mind anymore, I could see it, as well. Knew, without her having to elaborate, that she wanted me closer. I swallowed heavily and slowly climbed on the bed, afraid to jar her or hurt her in anyway. Carefully, I slid one arm under her and brought her up against me. As soon as I had her laying on my chest, I cupped her cheek needing the open connection with her. Needing to know that she was, in fact, pulling through this. _"So, now we know why you can hear me when we touch," _I heard Bella say.

A smile broke out across my face before I could stop it. As odd as it was, I couldn't lie and say I wasn't loving the open connection between us. _How much of that did you hear?_

"_All of it."_

The smile on my face got larger and yeah, I might've pulled her closer. Up until recently, she had believed herself to only be a simple human with a fucked up history. Now, she was aware of the same thing I was. That what we had a -for lack of a better term- cosmic beginning that went deeper than either of us could've ever imagined. And yet, she wasn't freaking out. I admired her strength. Hell, I admired everything about her. _I'm going to take care of you, you understand? I won't let anything happen to you._

"_Edward, I believe you," _she said adorably.

_Are you in pain?_

"_Not as much anymore. And...when you hold me, it feels better."_

By the Gods...I loved the girl. I did. The thought crossed my mind unchecked and it wasn't until I heard her little gasp that I realized...

Fuck.

She'd heard.


	111. Reciprocation

Once again, apologies for the delay in updates. My ass has been thrown into overdrive now that I've been signed. Double update to make up for it ^_~ You can also now find me as **N. Isabelle Blanco on Goodreads dot com**. Destructively Alluring (#DA) is now up there with it's expected publication date. Blood Flows Deep in the Empire (#BFDE) should be up in a month or so. xoxo

* * *

**Chapter 111**

**Reciprocation**

* * *

***EPOV

I freeze. I'm so panicked I actually stop hearing anything coming from her and get sucked into all the "fuck-me's" rioting through me. I almost want to jump out of the bed in my mentally alarmed state but the fear of hurting her somehow penetrates everything. Keeps me on that bed, one arm around her, my other hand still on her cheek.

"_Edward...EDUARDUS!"_

I don't know why but whenever she says that version of my name, it puts me on edge, and before I realize what I'm doing, I'm actually snapping back. _What?_

"_Oh, thank fuck. I thought you'd gone catatonic on me. Can you listen to me now?" _I swallow and nod, knowing she'll see the compliance going through my head even though I was still oddly scared shitless. But she always did that to me. I was a being that had been alive for thousands of years and had fought countless battles against other beings with colossal power and all it took to bring me to my knees was one girl. One girl and what she had to say and how she felt about me.

"_I'm trying to tell you how I feel about you, but you're being annoying!" _That shut me up. Real quick. And even worse were her next words. _"Edward...I...ok. This is harder than I thought. Could you at least kiss me first?" _I'm confused by her request. Beyond confused. _"I can feel you even though I can't move. Please?"_

The tone of her voice breaks me. There's a slight fear behind it and I know her fear is that I'll reject. As if I ever fucking could. Even feeling horrible about her being immobile, I can't help but give into her request. I tilt her head up and move slightly lower, careful with her the whole time. As soon as I'm close enough, her lips catch almost all of my attention. I'm so hungry I can barely take it. Even worse? I have no idea, if I kiss her, how I'm going to hold back from taking _her _even though it would ridiculously wrong.

"_Edward!" _I cut her mental-whine down short and slowly press my lips to hers. My groan is echoed by her tiny gasp, the sound melting into the crevices of my mind. I delicately lick her bottom lip. Am rewarded by another gasp. Before I can stop myself, I've sucked her bottom lip into mine and it's right then that the thought that shoots through her mind nearly incinerates my own.

"_Oh God, Edward. I love you."_

_Fuck, _I can't help but groan, my lips pulling away but not really leaving hers. "You have no idea," I said out loud, my heart palpitating, "I love you, too. Too much. Too freaking much."

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	112. An Agonized Request

**Chapter 112**

**An Agonized Request**

* * *

***EPOV

I held her for what seemed like forever. The relief palpitating through me was immense but I still needed her to move. To snap out of whatever hold the change had on her. I'd never seen an Arch transform in such a way. It was always painful and instantaneous. For her, it was a long process that went from numb to agonizing at a moment's notice then back again. It'd been six hours since she went under and still she showed no signs of coming out of it. I held her throughout all of it, whispering soothing words into her mind when the pain got too great and talking to her at times when it wasn't.

At some point into the eighth hour, there was a change in her condition but not the one I was hoping for. Alice had just come in to check on her. Rose and Emmett had abandoned the second R.V and moved into the one we were in. We were all serving as a watch over Bella, waiting for one of three outcomes. She woke up, we got to our destination or worse, we got attacked. Alice offered me some water even though I didn't need it and had closed the door behind her when Bella arched off the bed. A mental cry full of pain ripped through me. I wanted to jump back to escape what I felt.

That's when I realized, I wasn't just hearing and seeing images. I was _feeling. _I was feeling her, what she was feeling, and something inside her was ripping her emotionally in two. As much pain as I was in, I wasn't going to let her go. No fucking way. I held her to me and pushed passed the pain enough to mentally scream out for Markonius.

Images were crashing through Bella's mind, rushing into my own, echoes of screams tearing at my synapses. I could piece the pieces together enough to know that for some reason, Bella was trapped in a sick, merciless remembrance of the night her parents died.

"_Eduardus, it's part of the change. Like the flashbacks the Archs experience during the change."_

I could've gathered that but this was beyond what the Archs experienced. Regularly, it was a quick flash, like your life passing before your eyes. There was never this much pain. Never this many memories, amplified to the level that I could see. _What do I do? _I cried out, desperate to help Bella as she thrashed silently on the bed.

"_Go to her. You can walk her through it. But you must ask her permission. Get it beforehand or you will completely rip apart her psyche once you enter it!"_

_Bella_, I hurried to reach into her mind, pulling her closer to me. _Tell me you hear me. I want to help you. Tell me I can go in there with you!_

"_Edward!" _I heard her voice cry out, only it wasn't her voice. It was the voice of the child, the one I'd seen in her dreams.

_Bella, let me in. Can I..._

"_EDWARD! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME IN HERE ALONE!"_

"Jasper!" I bellowed at the top of my lungs.

I was going to need a tranquilizer. And a lot of it if I planned to push passed the agony we were trapped in to break through to her dream world.

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	113. Fragmented Veil

**Chapter 113**

**Fragmented Veil**

* * *

***EPOV

The world I step into is ripping apart. The skies, the forests, the very bricks from the mansion are flying off and haphazardly landing all over the place.

"Eduardus!"

I turn, seeing Greco appear. He's staring at the destruction around us, a small frown etched between his brows. "She's powerful. Almost too powerful. For her emotions alone to do this, even in this realm, it's astonishing. When she finishes the change it's going to be..."

"Greco, for fuck's sake! Just tell me where she is!" I snapped, about to just ignore him and run into the crumbling mansion anyway.

"It began a while ago. She must be where it happened by now."

I take off right after those words leave his mouth, intent on finding Bella and helping her through what she's going through. I have to duck several pieces of the mansion's wall as I barge inside. Once there, I see that the destruction in here is way worse than outside. The stairs are all but crumbled apart, the walls are debilitated, and the ceiling is rapidly following the same path. I jumped onto the landing of the second floor and literally flew down the hall.

The closer I got to the door Bella had originally banned me from, the louder the sounds got. Soon it became very obvious that I was hearing sobs. Desperate, pain-filled sobs. I stopped right in front of the door, seeing that it was thrown open, one of the double doors actually hanging off its hinge.

But that wasn't what really got me. It was the sight that met me inside. The room -a large study- had books lining the walls. On the floor, however, were three bodies. Three bodies torn to shreds, blood leaking out of them and covering the dark hardwood floor. One was a woman, beautiful and surprisingly just as ethereal as her daughter had grown up to be. I could tell even though she'd been torn into and marred. Another was a boy, no more than thirteen. His brown eyes stared unseeingly up at the ceiling, a look of supreme horror eternally etched onto his gashed face.

But it was the last one that got my attention. A tall man, completely torn apart, his skin a sickening grayish hue. Almost all of the blood covering the floor seemed to be leaking out of him. One of his eyes had been torn out, his arms had been pulled completely off his body. And-

Wings. His wings lay beneath him, crumpled, broken, black and covered with his blood.

The shock goes through me so hard I almost stumble backwards. I'm looking at the man that I have no doubt is Bella's father but...he isn't a man. Not a human man. No way.

Out of nowhere, a tiny figure in white stumbles into view, her dress soaking up the crimson around her as she moves. She runs to the fallen angel and drops to her knees next to him, her sobs breaking the world around us apart.

"Daddy! Daddy! Please get up. Please. Use your wings like you always do. I've seen you before, you never wanted me to see, but I saw. You're powerful, Daddy. I know you're alright. Please, Daddy, get up. Heal Mommy and Riley. _Please_!"

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	114. Hidden Truth

**Chapter 114**

**Hidden Truth**

* * *

***EPOV

How? I want to ask how is this possible? How is it that Bella had never remembered? That this knowledge lay so buried in her mind that up to now I'd never glimpsed it. Not even while connected. But the questions are going to have to wait because her tiny sobs are burning me from the inside and I can't stand the sight of her, kneeling before her father, white dress covered in his blood as she tries to shake him awake.

"Bella! Bella." I rush to her side, falling to my own knees in the blood.

Bella turns to look up at me, her small face marred by the horror she'd witnessed. Her eyes wide and flooded with her agony. "Edward. He's like you, isn't he? How is he dead? Why is he dead?" she cried, flinging herself into my arms as a new wave of sobs wracked her.

I squeezed her tiny form as much as I could without hurting her, rocking her back and forth and wishing to all hell that I could erase this moment from her history. Destroy the lingering trauma I know it's going to leave. There's nothing I can do, however, but hold her and look down at the Arch who'd fathered her.

_Why? _I finally reach out, hoping something out there will hear me. Suddenly, images rush through my head, answers barreling through at top speed. My synapses stretch to process all the information and in the blink of an eye, I see that fate once again had a hand. Bella was due to be the first evolved human since the species began, just like Markonius had said. In order to ensure she'd be powerful enough to survive the change. One sure way to accomplish that? Mix an ex-human Arch with a human woman descended from another Arch. Bella's great-great-grandfather had been another damned Arch.

Because, apparently, I wasn't the only Arch throughout all of history that had fallen for a human woman. No, I was amongst a large company of many.

"Bella," I said softly, cupping the back of her head gently. I knew she had to relive this in order to remember what she'd forgotten but there was no need for her to see any longer. I wanted her out of the study as fast as possible. "Bella, can I take you out of here?"

She sniffed, nodding and pressing her face into my chest. I lifted her up slowly, making my way out of the study. She was going to be stuck here for a while longer, trapped in this world until the change snapped free and allowed her to wake. Determined to stay with her as long as it took, I made my way back up to the room we'd been in before.

The moment I laid her down on the bed, her body elongated right before my very eyes. In less than a second, Bella changed from the child to the woman. I broken woman who hugged herself, still crying, while half-laying on that bed. I sat next to her softly, wanting to give whatever comfort I could.

"Bella..."

"Edward," she said, sniffing delicately and meeting my eyes. "How'd they manage to kill my father? If he was an Arch, how were they more powerful than him?"

GAHHH, hearbreaking!


	115. Duality

**Chapter 115**

**Duality**

* * *

***EPOV

I can't answer her. I have absolutely no way of speaking passed the rock in my throat. Slowly, I move close, leaning down and wrapping my arms around her. Bella sniffs lightly again.

Moves and literally crawls onto me.

Into me.

Her arms wrap around my neck, her face pressed against one side of it. I hold her, one hand wrapped around her waist, the other coming up to softly rub her back. The moment I touch her there, I feel them. Feel the long ridges hardening under the muscle.

The beginning of what I know will be her wings.

Bella freezes, as her heart and breath take off at my touch there. We're both tense at this point. Both panting. I tell myself that this is not the fucking time. To fucking stop. But the tips of my fingers aren't listening. Lightly, they move. Ghost across smooth flesh that is tightly wrapped around newly formed bone.

It won't always be like this. I know once the change is complete and her wings are fully formed, all she'll have to do is retract them and the ridges won't be there. Her back will remain smooth like that of all archs.

Still, I've never seen such a slow change in an arch before and I'm fascinated by what I feel growing under her skin. I caress again, harder this time.

Unable to stop myself.

Partially cursing and exalting myself.

A full body shiver goes through Bella, one that tears at me. "Edward," she gasps, another little shiver making her body shake.

A fucking _purr _rumbling sexily in her chest.

_Oh, shit. _

I could feel my energy signature literally pop and take off inside me. Super-heated blood rushed through my veins. Painful. Delicious. Fucking _dangerous._

"Edward," Bella breathed into my ear, making the electrical impulses going through me sharpen. Every muscle in my body locked up. Waited. My fingers lay unmoving upon her, my nerves focused solely on her.

Again, waiting.

I told myself I didn't know what for. Knew I was a liar of the highest form.

All she had to say was one word. One.

I soaked in the small shocks of energy coming off her skin, feeling the hairs on my body stand on end.

"Edward." This time, it was her lips and breath that softly brushed across my ear. Even though I wasn't awake, I continued to feel the goosebumps break out. "Do that again," she breathed, damning us both.

So tempting. So undeniable. I knew I should refuse, that this wasn't the time, but I couldn't deny her. I couldn't deny myself. My body belongs to her. Against my will, my hold on her tightens, my fingers brush her still forming wings, and the way Bella moans has my cock suddenly on edge. Right there. Too freaking close.

"Oh, God. Yes," she whimpers. Pulls back. Stares heatedly into my eyes, shocking me. I stare into eyes that are too beautiful. Eyes that are dual-colored.

Green.

Gray.

Morphed into a swirling design that has me instantly losing my mind.

**Holy shit, that's so hot!**


	116. Soul Connection

**Chapter 116**

**Soul Connection**

* * *

***EPOV

It's like I'm being sucked into her pupils. Pupils that are growing wider, enlarging at a dangerous pace. Everything my awareness consists of is pulled into their dark depths. I feel it happen. The moment it does, a red haze locks onto my senses. Behind it, I feel her pulse. Every beat. Colors flood back into my vision. Colors that are still stained red and pulsating.

The cadence of her heart is so loud in my mind that I hear it everywhere. My body pulsating, my heart merging with hers. That's when I realize that behind her heartbeat is my own.

And she's feeling it.

All of it.

The connection between us intensifies and I can hear what she feels.

See what she hears.

Feel what she sees.

My very soul fuses, along with our blood. My hands turn brutal. Begin clawing. Gripping and pulling her closer. I _need _her closer.

We're already too fucking close.

Nowhere near close enough.

Ours moans echo as our connection continues to strengthen along a titanium wire. Tight and unyielding, it forces my mind into hers and hers into mine. There's a part of me that's very frightened at this almost complete loss of self. Another part of me is addicted. She's beautiful. Amazing. I need to be inside her in every way that counts.

Never, in all the millennia that I'd existed connected within the Universe, had I heard of two beings experiencing this.

Regardless, I recognized what it was. Knew that almost all humans spent their whole lives waiting for a connection like this. But no, this was different.

More.

Beyond anything that could ever be simply imagined. Behind it all, my senses were still expanding and the pounding became a downright howl that demanded. Like a hit of raw ecstasy straight to my groin, a quake went through me, hunger exploding. The pulsing receded just enough for Bella's face to come into view.

Those eyes. Those beautiful fucking eyes. Her name leaves my lips. The way she responds, moaning my name again, makes it hard for me to breath. I thrust against her, desperately. In a flash, she's on me. My back hits the bed and the moment our lips touch, it was instant. I couldn't help it. I was ready to rip at everything so I could get inside her.

I was already close to coming harder than the last time and the pleasure was already incinerating my cells. "Fuck, baby," I heard myself choke, back arching.

"Edward. Wha...oh shit. I'm so close." Her voice splits inside my ears, warping and pulling at my dick. Tormenting it as much as her body was. I thrust against her, pressing my aching body into her and grabbing. Grabbing her hips with the intent of holding her to me. Grabbing hips that are covered in...

Jeans. I feel not a skirt but jeans. Fucking jeans.

With a blink born of confusion, I focus long enough to look up at Bella. Realize in that moment that we're awake. We're fucking awake, still connected too deeply, straining against each other and-

Too beautiful. She's too much. I can't handle it. Bella's hair is falling wild down her shoulders. Her dilated eyes are animalistic and still two-toned.

Behind her, spread to fulls her, are wings.

Deep, dark purple, nearly black wings.


	117. Augmentation

**Double update for tonight ^_~ Once again, I'm sorry for the delays. Things don't look like they're going to be slowing down anytime soon. "Destructively Alluring", my first ebook, is now available for sale and I've started work on my next one, "Addictive Lunacy." Things are definitely on overdrive for me :p**

* * *

**Chapter 117**

**Augmentation**

* * *

***EPOV

Bella's wings stretched, fluttering and snapping out to almost full length. The R.V's room was too small. The tips of her wings slammed into the walls on either side. She froze, a choked gasp sounding out in the room. I grunted, shock shooting through me as pain exploded in my own back.

Bella whimpered lightly, her wings retracting close to her and her upper body curled into itself. I gritted my teeth, sitting up and wrapping my arms around her as the pain she was feeling continued to pound through my back.

"_Ow, _Edward," she breathed, clinging to me. It could be extremely painful to have a blow delivered to one's wings but Bella had barely slapped her wings against the walls. The amount of pain she was in was beyond ordinary.

I scooted to the edge of the bed, standing and slowly turning us over so I could lay her down. Careful of her wings, I lowered her back onto the bed. It was going to take a few days, at least, for her to learn to fully pull them back into her skin.

Bella's eyes widened, her breath rushing out when my hand accidentally brushed her wing while I laid her back down. I nearly fell to my knees, pleasure replacing the pain in my back.

As novel, brilliant, and just plain fucking _delicious _as the connection with her was, I could see how this could become an inconvenient problem.

Fast.

How the hell would we survive any form of battle if this didn't abate?

"Edward, what is this? What's happening..._oh_," Bella moaned, her eyes widening even more and her hips coming off the bed.

Pressing into me.

An ungodly sound rumbled out of me, my eyes rolling back into my head and my body freezing as I tried to keep some control. I wanted to explain to her what little I did know, and warn her that we had to keep ourselves contained somehow. A least for a little while. Iy'tarias could send another attack at any moment. I had to check in with the others.

But I couldn't bring myself to speak. There was another, more potent way to communicate with her now, but considering our current state, I knew that further opening our connection was a bad idea.

Bad, _bad _idea.

Especially when Bela tightened her hold on me, brought me closer, violated my mouth with her own, and nearly made me fucking come right there. Instantaneously, the air around us became superheated. My energy rose dangerously. The N2, CO2, and even O2 molecules around us popped, fizzling as the temperature actually rose to a level I'd never caused before.

Not even while in battle.

I pulled away from Bella, confused. Until another jump in the temperature made me twitch. Shortly after, a flash of multi-colored light temporarily blinded me.

And on its heels? A loud bang that heralded what would become a large hole on the side of the R.V.

"Holy shit," Bella and I gasped as the R.V screeched to a halt and I finally realized that the blast hadn't just come out of me.

Oh, no.

Most of it had come out of her.


	118. The Arrival

**Chapter 118**

**The Arrival**

* * *

***EPOV

"What the fuck?" I hear Jasper cry out, the breaks of the R.V screeching in the background.

Bella and I are still frozen, heads turned towards the four foot hole and the jungle that can be seen beyond it. I hear the others, their rushed footsteps towards the back as they hurry to see what the hell had just happened.

Then, everything went quiet. I'm curious as to why and what's going on out there. But the connection with Bella is pulling at me too hard for me to move. Shock is beginning to wear off, reality is beginning to seep in.

"Holy fucking hell, was that me?" Bella asks.

"Both of us. It was both of us," I respond, flattening my hands on the bed and pushing my upper body away from her. Slightly. The connection wouldn't really let me go any further.

"Where the hell are we?" was Bella's next question. She's still staring at the jungle outside.

"Mexico," I answered, trying to dredge up the strength obviously needed to get myself off of her.

"And where are we supposed to...you know, do this?"

At the mention of '_this'_,a pulse goes through us both. The air is heating up again. I'm close to giving up any hope of ever extricating myself. If we were going to die, it was going to be some sort of 'lover's last embrace' type shit.

"Inside the temple of Chichen-Itza, I think," I grit out, trying my damn best to not rip clothes off. I can hear movement outside, whispers, but I can't focus on what's being said thanks to the body under mine.

"Uh, yeah. How about not? Edward, the Mayans built that thousands of years ago. I don't want to be responsible for the destruction of that thing. I will be. You so much as touch me and I'll obliterate it. I know I will!" Bella rambled.

I barked out a laugh, shaking my head and trying to resist the urge to lean down and bite her. The imagery her words caused was more than just tempting. As long as no harm came to her, I couldn't help but want her to destroy the damned thing.

Because I was touching her.

Fuck.

The door behind me opened slowly and before he even spoke, I was feeling the surprise of him being there.

"My, what a predicament. This is definitely one of the worst cases I've ever seen. Jasperian, quick, take a picture of this. We need to immortalize his falling. Perhaps we're going to have to carry the two of them out of here just as they are. What do you think, Emmelius?"

"Hah-fucking-hah," I said, managing to turn my head and looking over my shoulder. "How about you find a way to separate us so we can, (a) survive in battle-"

"Battle? But we aren't in battle right now. Are we?" he responded, his tone still way too amused.

"_And _(b)," I continued, ignoring his smart ass comment. "So you can explain to us just what the fuck is going on, Markonius."


	119. Connected

**Chapter 119**

**Connected**

* * *

***EPOV

"This is entirely up to you. You're going to have to let go."

"I am _trying _to let go!"

"Well, you're not trying hard enough."

"I am fucking trying!"

Consequently, I'd only managed to roll off Bella. We still couldn't move farther than an inch away from each other without the distance causing an energy rise that further threatened the R.V's interior. Add to that the feel of Bella's hands wrapped around my biceps, the feel of her breath ghosting too close to my cheek, the room now full of amused gawkers, my painful hard on, and Markonius' oh-so-helpful attitude, and there you have it.

My current hell.

"Maybe if Bella would try to let go," Emmett suggested, sounding hesitant to do so.

With good reason. The moment he said it, Bella tensed up, her hands tightened around my upper arms and what could only be described as a whimper mixed with a growl left her.

"Ehh, forget I said anything," Emmett mumbled, backing away from the bed.

"I'm trying!" Bella cried, glaring at him over her shoulder. "But when I so much as think about it, it hurts!"

As ridiculous as this predicament had become, I couldn't fight back the rush of love those words sent through me. My body gave up on fighting it, my arms wrapping around her and bringing her closer. Bella and I both sighed in relief even as we continued to internally starve for each other.

"Oh great," Alice sighed, rolling her eyes and smirking.

Bella and I glared at her.

"This is truly unlike any connection I've ever seen," Markonius commented, rubbing his chin and looking down at us thoughtfully.

"Have you seen anything like this before?" I asked.

"Yes. But never this...involved. It seems like it's not going to let up until you're both connected in the most basic sense possible."

I don't know how it was possible, but we both got even more tense at hearing that. Bella's heart raced against my chest. "That's it?" I asked. "Are you telling me that's all it would take to make it more bearable?"

"Not bearable but usually it helps make the connection less destructive," Markonius began.

I didn't let him finish. I gathered Bella in my arms and got off the bed. "Tell me that temple is accessible."

"Yes, we've cleared the whole area of all humans...well, there you go," Markonius finished as I almost barreled through Jasper and Alice on my way out the door.

"Damn, baby," I heard Emmett complain. "Why haven't you ever been _that _desperate for me?"

The sound of a smack followed but I barely paid attention to it. Bella was giggling in my arms and all I could think about was getting my woman in that temple.

Fast.


	120. Cataclysmic Nexus : Prelude

**The Cataclysmic Nexus is about to begin. And Cataclysmic Nexus is just my obnoxius way of saying: Destructive Sex. Let's do this. (I fucking love Easy A :p)**

* * *

**Chapter 120**

**Cataclysmic Nexus : Prelude**

* * *

***EPOV

The moment I stepped outside, I realized that we were right at the edge of the jungle. Before us, what could be seen of the remains of Chichen-Itza lay bathed in the sunlight. My eyes quickly scanned across, taking in the massive army that was scattered around the area we were in.

And it was an army. A legion, at least, of Gods, God-like warriors, the Oneroi, and more.

The rest of the buildings lay beyond; roads cutting through the jungle that lead to all the other areas. I knew that there was a museum and hotels somewhere. Markonius had promised that this area was cut off from the humans, however.

"Oh," Bella breathed, clinging to me and looking around.

"Woah, bro. Looks like you're getting one hell of an audience," Emmett said, now behind us.

They all were, I could feel them, but I couldn't turn to them. My eyes were still locked on the scene before us, the energy coming off all the beings and arching into the Earth's magnetic field.

"They aren't really going to be watching...right?" Bella asked, looking up at me with wide eyes. I looked down at her, feeling a sharp throb of lust slam through me as I took in those newly changed eyes. Bella bit her lip, her nostrils flaring slightly and arms tightening around my neck.

"Markonius," I said, moments away from losing the last of my patience.

"They're here as a precaution. Security. Not just against Iy'tarias' forces. The temple has been charged with energy from almost every being here, myself included. No one else will be inside there with you two. Hopefully the energy will help the structure stay intact during-"

"Where?" I barked, eyes still locked with Bella's. My entire body was coiled. Every muscle rippled, waves of energy demanding that I propel my woman across and straight into the first structure in front of us so I could take everything.

Every inch.

Every fucking bit of her body she gave.

"Jaguar's tomb. Pyramid. Can't miss..."

But I didn't stick around to hear the rest. My shirt tore open as my wings snapped to full length and in one jump, I'd shot across the sky at speeds near that of sound. It took every bit of my concentration to land on top of the pyramid softly.

Too hard and the resulting sonic wave would've destroyed any structures in sight.

I could hear many of the thoughts coming from those around us. Could hear their surprise at seeing me with the newly _evolved _Arch in my arms.

I didn't bother to spend one more second of my attention on them. Just tightened my arms around my girl and headed straight into the first entrance I could see.


	121. Cataclysmic Nexus : Alpha

**Chapter 121**

**Cataclysmic Nexus : Alpha**

* * *

***EPOV

I'd barely made it inside the small structure at the top of the pyramid when things got out of control.

I mean this.

Out. Of. Fucking. Control.

Bella seemed to have been holding on by an even smaller thread than I'd been. Something that flared inside me until I felt the air heating up around us again. Her nails dug into my neck.

I know she didn't mean to.

I didn't give a fuck. I needed.

In a flash, I had her pressed to the stone wall. The first one I could see. I felt dust crumbling. Had one second of worry for something that was, indeed, an ancient treasure.

Didn't matter after that. Nothing did.

I was nearly blind from the throbbing haze when Bella's mouth slammed against mine. I tasted blood.

Hers.

Mine.

_Mixed_.

Frantic breaths collided as I lifted her higher. Her limbs wrapped around me. All of them. Her wings actually slid against my own and a sharp hiss broke out of me as I threw my head back. For a few seconds, all I could do was stare wide eyed and unseeing at the ceiling, panting harshly from behind clenched teeth as Bella licked my neck.

Her teeth came down on flesh. A harsh curse broke out of me. My fingers clenched around the belt loops of her jeans. I heard the fabric tearing. Bella moaned, biting my jaw. Pulling hard. Our wings were still rubbing against each other. The pleasure was too intense. I was right there. Was going to come and there was nothing I could do.

"Edward. Oh God, I feel..."

"Come with me," I growled viciously, tugging even harder on her jeans. Letting go so one hand could tear at her shirt. I'd materialize new clothes for her later. Now...now all that mattered was feeling her. Having her. Giving her what she needed because every one of her luscious thoughts were raping my mind and I couldn't sense one ounce of fear in her.

No. All I could feel was her hunger for me. The fact that we were both on the edge of complete and utter insanity.

Bella reached up, ripping the rest of her shirt right off. The sight of her breasts in that black bra was too much. I slammed her harder against the wall, my hips brutal as I ground into her in search of the relief only she could give.

I pulled back, eyes snapping wide as they clashed with Bella's mere seconds before I felt the connection snap again and my consciousness was pulled straight into hers.


	122. Cataclysmic Nexus : Lacerated

**Chapter 122**

**Cataclysmic Nexus : Lacerated**

* * *

***BPOV

I was pulled. Pulled right off the wall. The tops of my jeans were torn, I could feel this, but I couldn't pay attention.

His voice was inside me. His moans were sliding through my veins. Pounding down the arteries of my brain and lashing into the deepest parts of me. He was standing. Stumbling. We were spiraling deeper into the pyramid but none of that mattered.

The world was red.

Throbbing.

His moans, my moans, the pulsating energy that was wrecking our bodies. I rocked against him, rubbing my aching body against the hard, near titanium length I could feel. I should've been afraid. Should've been worried about whether his large body would hurt me.

I couldn't feel any of those things.

A howl nearly equivalent to that of a wolf's barreled through me, my body screaming to feel his inside me so I could explode. The idea of him feeling just how needy he had me popped out of my head. Shot into his. I heard it happen.

_Felt _it happen.

My back was slammed into another wall. I managed to see enough through the haze to realize that we had stumbled down a small set of stairs. Another chamber lay in front of us. My face was grabbed. Forced to stay still. Delicious fingers, long and punishing, slid into my mouth.

Edward's groan vibrated. His body slammed. My hands tore at his shirt as my teeth threatened to tear at his skin.

"Do it," he moaned, his voice desperate. "Tear. Break my skin. I don't care. Fuck, little one, your mouth is amazing."

I moaned loudly, my cheeks hollowing out. One of his hands slammed into the wall next to me.

I heard it crack.

The air around us was so hot I was dripping sweat at this point. His fingers were roughly pulled out of my mouth. His tongue slammed in before I could even protest. The taste of him was too much.

One swirl of his wet tongue.

His teeth lightly nipping and pulling my bottom lip.

His hips thrusting against me, his jean covered cock throbbing so hard I could feel it.

I exploded, the corners of my visions exploding with white as my body bowed and emptied itself. My cells felt torn apart, my heart freezing inside me while the rest of me continued to pound. I felt my bra being ripped off. Felt Edward's loud groan all the way into my bones right before he leaned down and sucked my nipple right into his hot, tingling mouth.

What had been eruption became an apocalypse.

I couldn't even scream as the world descended further into swirls of red.


	123. Cataclysmic Nexus : Ascension

**Chapter 123**

**Cataclysmic Nexus : Ascension**

* * *

***EPOV

I held her still, rubbing her brutally against me while I sucked on her skin. Flicked my tongue against her hard little nipple. My back rippled, my arms bulged, my neck tightened to the point of pain.

None of that compared to the pleasure her orgasm unleashed inside me.

My cock spurted, cum sticking to the inside of my jeans. I groaned, sucking her breast as much into my mouth as I could while I tried to hang on. Tried to keep my legs steady. I came so hard all that was left inside me for a few seconds was our combined heartbeats pounding in the dark.

It still wasn't enough.

It wasn't going to be enough until I was inside her.

Spilling in her.

Her walls dripping around me.

"Fuck," we cried, the visual tearing through both of us.

Our energy levels had the stone around us shaking. I stepped away from the wall, refusing to let my girl go. The need to have her gave me strength I shouldn't have been capable of after that orgasm. I lifted her higher against me. All but careened the last two steps into the small lower level of the inner chamber.

I looked down at her, teeth baring as she panted with that sexy mouth open. I pressed her against my cock, leaning my head down and inhaling the very breath that left her as I made love to her mouth.

There was no other way to describe it. The soft and wet inside of her mouth made me crave things I shouldn't want. Except the thought made her throb and I fucking felt it as I caressed her tongue with mine.

I kept my eyes open, exhaling roughly at how sexy she looked while we kissed. Bella's arms wrapped around my neck, her body trying to drag mine into hers. I pulled away, choking on air that was sparkling with energy and twenty times too hot for a human to handle.

I placed my girl on the back of the Chac-Mool, taking full advantage of the seat the statue provided.

Bella panted, breasts bouncing as she stared up at me like she was too seconds from ripping my jeans off. I did just that to what was left of her own and nearly exploded all over again once I had her naked.

"You think anyone ever did anything like this in here?" she asked, her hand raising up and tickling my abs.

Making them ripple.

I hissed, dropping to my knees before her and taking in her moan as she felt my intentions loud and fucking clear. "Who cares?" I answered, hearing how hoarse my voice sounded. "All that matters is what I'm about to do to _you_ in here."

And I ran my hands up her legs, exhaling at how smooth her skin was. I leaned down, my lips and tongue following the path of my left land. I nibbled on her knee, nipped as I went up towards her thigh.

Bella jerked. Her legs shook. Her body gushed, the scent nearly slamming my head into the stone next to her thighs. My finger shook just as bad as her legs as I reached up and wrapped them around her panties. I looked up at her, locking eyes and feeling the blaze in her further crashing against my awareness.

I felt my teeth bare again. Was unable to help it. Bella looked fucking scrumptious staring down at me with all that colorful energy pulsing out of her and those breasts heaving.

Nipples hard.

"I'm going to eat every inch of you," I promised, tone shaky and the violence behind it barely restrained.

"Please," my girl pleaded, her hands reaching down and sliding into my wings.

Caressing.

Her panties were ripped off, her thighs roughly spread by my unyielding hands. Her body bared, tilted back as far as the statue would allow. I took one second to stare. One second to memorize the smooth, wet lips I'd been dying to see in real life. Then, I lost it, the hunger in me dragging me down into her body.


	124. Cataclysmic Nexus : Physical Tyranny

**Chapter 124**

**Cataclysmic Nexus : Physical Tyranny**

* * *

***BPOV

I jerked, nearly falling off the damned statue I was sitting on.

Edward's hands kept me on.

Kept me immobile.

I needed to escape.

Sensation was too acute. My body shook dangerously, my thighs quaking so hard I feared their newfound strength would tear apart the ancient figure I was on.

My pussy was swollen. Too swollen. Too sensitive.

My eyes were, too, and although I was inwardly screaming that it was too much, I couldn't look away. Couldn't tear my eyes away from his profile as he tilted his head and sucked my clit in softly.

"God," I gasped, back arching.

One of Edward's hands slid around my waist.

His tongue slithered out. Swirled.

His moans made my inner muscles clench, the sounds pushing me closer. I could feel myself. Could feel every gush that left me and slid into his mouth.

Heard him literally fucking slurp as he sucked it in.

His hand slid around to my back, fingers lightly tracing the curve of my spine.

Up.

His tongue continued to flick back and forth. My swollen clit throbbed, my hips betraying me and trying to thrust me further against his mouth.

Harder.

His hand kept sliding up.

Reverent.

Loving.

He traced the arch of my back like he was trying to memorize it. I choked on his name, my heart bruising my ribcage. I could feel him slipping into me. Feel the energy barreling out of him.

Edward moaned, the sound too pleased.

Again, too much.

I had no choice but to latch onto his wings. A part of me worried it would hurt. Another part couldn't give a fuck. His growl vibrated all the way through me. The pleasure he was feeling did worse as it shot through my own wings.

I could fucking taste myself inside my ownmouth.

"_Edward_. Oh...oh fuck. The way you...make me...feel. I'm going to...Oh God, I need to come in your mouth, baby," I heard _my _voice fucking plead.

"Do it, baby. Fucking do it. I'm going to fucking explode if you don't," Edward pleaded gorgeously, one finger sliding into me and ripping the last of my common sense apart.

I felt my walls nearly choke his poor finger.

Felt the trembling, white hot fury that exploded in every limb.

Every fucking limb.

But even worse than that was how I felt him come again. The knowledge that I could do that to him, without touching him there, from him barely touching me...

I swear, I was still fucking coming, _viciously_, when Edward pulled away from me and shot up, pressing his now fully naked body against mine.

"I need you, baby. I fucking need-"

"Do it. Oh God, _yes_," I keened, wrapping my arms around him, sitting up, and sliding my tongue into his mouth.


	125. Cataclysmic Nexus : Internal Wreckage

**Chapter 125**

**Cataclysmic Nexus : Internal Wreckage**

* * *

***EPOV

I soaked in how small and perfectly feminine her body felt in my arms.

That waist.

Those thighs spread on either side of me.

We tilted our heads, connecting our mouths in almost the same way our bodies were about to be connected.

I had to take one hand off her in order to grab my too hard cock, holding it as it throbbed from the thought of having her.

Slamming into her.

_Slow_, I reminded myself, knowing that her body was probably not ready for what I wanted.

"Fuck slow," Bella growled, actually baring her teeth at me and looking like a sexy lioness.

I gathered her against me.

Tighter.

Shot off the Chac-Mool and ended up slamming her against another wall. The inner chamber burst with color, prisms born out of our passion. Our lips connected again, our bodies pressed.

Connected.

The tip of my cock bumped against her swollen flesh.

Bella's hips jerked. Her voice wrecked me.

Her body sucked me in.

My head fell back again as I let my body take over. A deep, agonized groan leaked out of me as with I thrust, one push of my hips sliding me into her.

Deep.

She froze.

I froze.

Didn't matter. The connection between us managed to grow larger. Her walls stretched around me, sending whispers of death and life through me. Her legs were tight around me. Good, because my arms couldn't hold her up.

My legs trembled. My forearms dug into the wall behind her. Every bit of my body numbed, reanimated, numbed, and did it all over again in a searing cycle of pleasure.

Bella moaned my name, her tone astonished.

I wasn't even fully into her, yet. I wanted it. Part of me was afraid. Would I survive this?

Would she?

"Edward," Bella breathed, hugging me tight, her small arms around my neck. She rubbed her lips against my ear. Twitched around my length. "Baby, I feel you," she whispered, sucking on my lobe.

"Are you in pain?" I gritted out from behind my teeth. Sweat slid down my body, making its way between us. One move, her nipples grazing against my wet chest. We both tensed, moaning from the pleasure it caused.

"You know I am. I want you. More." And she rotated her hips.

The way she felt was it. It was my destiny. My reason for living. The reason I would die a million deaths if necessary.

"Hang on, baby," I pleaded, finding enough strength to wrap one arm around her. "This might get rough."

"Fuck yes," she moaned, her teeth almost breaking through the skin of my jaw.

I gave in, biting into her neck and thrusting my body into hers on one long thrust.


	126. Cataclysmic Nexus : Ravaged Senses

**Chapter 126**

**Cataclysmic Nexus : Ravaged Senses**

* * *

***BPOV

"You...baby, fuck...feel..._Bellllaaa._"

A single tear slid down my cheek. I held on. Wanted to tell him. Wanted him to hear what I was feeling, the frightening pleasure that was latching onto every molecule on my body.

"I feel it. Fuck, baby. I feel it," Edward breathed, licking a path up my cheek. Swallowing the tear that had leaked out of me.

"Edward," I whimpered, hanging on. His hips pushed into me. Color sparked around us. His dick stretched me and it hurt but the type of pain I was feeling was nothing short of delicious. One rotation of his hips and I swear, I was right there and this orgasm was already taking my breath away.

It hadn't even begun.

I felt him latch onto my hips hard. In a flash, I was moved off the wall and leaned down on the floor. Somehow, Edward managed to materialized something soft on it. I didn't even have a chance to see what. He laid me down, his body still deep inside mine. The moment he had me there, he froze, panting and staring down at me with a feral look.

"So fucking sexy," he growled, his wings large and twitching behind him. I cupped his cheek, watching as his eyes flashed between green, hazel and red.

It was the red that got me. The red that had me twitching and raising my hips up towards him. He looked so dangerous, hot, and somehow still tender as he stared at me, spread beneath him.

"Edward, please," I gasped, thrusting my hips against him.

Edward hissed, his eyes clenching tightly shut. Slowly, he slid himself out. Almost all the way. The moment he slipped back into me, his back curving sexily with the movement, a burst of power shot out of me and slammed into the walls.

Walls that started promptly shaking.

"So good." I trembled, unable to let go of this biceps as my body shook. "Oh fuck. I feel you. Throbbing. Edward, I _feel _you!"

I did. I felt everything. Every throb of pleasure that went through his cock, went through me. And it was the same for him. I could feel it. I could...

"You're amazing," he cried out, his body bowing over mine. I mewled, legs locking around him and bringing him in deeper. This was nothing like what had happened to me years ago. I could barely even remember that it'd happened at all. Edward was taking over my body and loving it in a way that was tearing me apart and shoving me straight into a fiery version of heaven.

"Edward," I gasped, trembling with each thrust of his hips. Wanting him to go harder.

Faster.

Rougher.

"Not yet," Edward panted, kissing me. "I need to stretch you. You're so fucking tight. Fuck, baby."

"But I'm so close," I whined, thighs shaking around him. "I'm so-"

"Then come for me, baby. Let me feel you. Come all over my fucking cock," Edward groaned, his tongue sinfully caressing my own.

I broke away from our kiss, my back arching off the floor. Edward dove for my breast with a feral growl, his teeth stinging and making my nipple impossibly harder. My nails broke flesh and my teeth broke my lip as my body clamped down around him painfully.

"Oh, _oh _fuck. Fuck Edward!"

"So good," he cried, looking pained as he nibbled and licked my nipple. The sight of his tongue sent another throb through me. I was nearly sobbing from the pleasure, feeling more tears building in my eyes.

The sounds of my moaning were nothing compared to the loud shaking of the pyramid around us.

"Do it. God, baby. Please. Do it. I need to feel that little pussy come on me. Come."

I did. I couldn't even scream. Pleasure landed on my being like pure lightning and all I could do was hold on while Edward lost his mind and went berserk above me.


	127. Cataclysmic Nexus : Sensuality Overload

**Chapter 127**

**Cataclysmic Nexus : Sensuality Overload**

* * *

***EPOV

The way her walls fell around me stole my breath. Her inner muscles rivaled the hardness of my cock, clenching and choking it to a level that made me very sure of one thing: had I been human, she would've broken me with the force of her orgasm.

I wasn't human, however, I was _more,_and what I was experiencing went beyond anything humans could ever understand.

I was dying to explode within her. Drench her walls and stain them white with every drop that belonged to her.

But there would be time for that later. First...First, I had other things in mind. Things my mind was aching for in its deepest, darkest recesses.

Salacious things.

Extremely perverted and possibly wrong things.

Things that I was going to fucking love doing to her.

I pulled out of her, grinding my teeth with the effort. Bella immediately tensed and gasped, her wide, outraged eyes clashing with my own heavy-lidded ones. I braced myself over her with just one hand, letting my eyes rake down her glistening body and licking my lips at the images in my head.

Bella opened her mouth, ready to demand more. The words got stuck in her throat when her eyes glanced down and saw my fist wrapping around my soaked, throbbing cock. I bit my lip, pumping my fist and pressing the tip of it right against her clit.

"Jesus, Edward..."

"You like that, baby? Look at how wet you left me. Fuck. I love that," I growled, using my dick to circle her swollen clit lightly.

"Fuck. Edward. That's so—watching you..._fuck_," Bella moaned, hips rising and causing my dick to slide up and down her drenched slit. My teeth clenched harder, pleasure running a-fucking-mok in my system. "Edward, _please_!"

"You want my cum, don't you?" I hissed, a part of me still in disbelief at the way I was talking to her.

At the fact that she was very much enjoying it.

Bella nodded up at me in a way that nearly pushed me over the edge. Lust ran through me so powerfully that the arm holding me up almost gave out on me. I thrust into my tight fist, the head of my cock tickling her clit with every move. "Touch yourself, baby. Let me see you. I'll come all over this sexy little pussy if you do," I panted, biting my lip down at her.

My girl groaned deep in her chest, her back arching and energy surging out of her. Her wings twitched under her as she reached up and wrapped her fingers around her nipple. Pinched down and pulled.

I moaned gutturally, the sight before me driving me insane. Bella moaned again, biting her lip and dragging her teeth across kiss-swollen, tantalizing flesh.

"Do it," she whispered, her voice leaking into my ears, my skin, my fucking psyche. "Come all over my pussy. I want your cum on me."

Disbelief was back, surprising me, but it barely registered. There was nothing compared to the orgasm that suddenly tore through me. My back curved, head fell back, and I let out a roar that made the very fucking walls around us shake more. Even though she'd drained me multiple times, my body was somehow giving her more, and I exploded all over her pussy.

And I wasn't done with her. Oh, hell the fuck no.


	128. Cataclysmic Nexus : Overload Expanded

**Chapter 128**

**Cataclysmic Nexus : Overload Expanded**

* * *

***BPOV

I was never going to forget the sight of him. The things he was doing to me. The way he did them. It was vulgar. It was erotic. It was beyond perfect, beautiful, and every single arousing thing you could dream up. Watching Edward pump his dick nearly killed me. Watching and feeling him come on my pussy?

I couldn't fucking breathe anymore. My teeth couldn't let go of my bottom lip. Made sense, what I really wanted to bite on was his flesh and it wasn't close enough for me to do so. I panted, desperate sounds leaving me, hips jerking and eyes rolling back into my head. Edward leaned into me, pressing the still swollen tip of his dick into clit. My moans punctuated his rough gasps. It was the most arousing thing I've ever heard. Edward purposely rubbed his dick in circles, spreading his cum.

He bit his lip, looking at my pussy. My tits. His eyes traveled every inch, leaving my skin inflamed and greedy for more.

"Edward, please." We both knew what I was begging for. What I needed. Edward pulled back, making me mewl. A mewl that got caught in my throat, surprise flaring deep when Edward used his fingers and rubbed even more of his cum into my flesh.

My clit swelled more. My body got that much closer to the explosive relief that only he was able to give it.

And still, it wasn't going to be enough.

"You look so good with my cum dripping on you."

Oh, no he fucking didn't.

"You like that, baby?" Edward asked, tilting his head and watching as his fingers spread his cum all over my clit, my lips, my opening...his fingers slid into me, two of them stretching and smearing my insides with his seed.

My eyes rolled back again, wanton sounds leaking out of me. My hips thrust up into the air, my pussy fucking his fingers and trying to force them in deeper.

Somehow.

They were already as deep as they could go.

Still not enough.

"Edward, I need-"

"More of my cum? Inside you? Fucking deep, baby?"

Dear God, who was this man? I didn't know. I didn't care. I just wanted to jump on him, ride him, bite into his flesh and hold on tight as I came all over him.

"Holy fucking shit," Edward growled. In a flash, he slid his fingers out of me. I knew what he was going to do, felt it through our bond, knew that he'd seen the thoughts going through my head.

Still, it took me by surprise when he grabbed me, turning us in a flash and sitting me on top of him.

"You need to bite me?" he asked, voice as rough as his eyes. "Ride me?"

I nodded breathlessly, arms wrapping around his neck and hips flexing against his.

"Then fucking do it." And he grabbed me, slamming me roughly onto his cock and pushing it into me as deep as it could go.


	129. Cataclysmic Nexus : Blitzed Out Overdriv

**Chapter 129**

**Cataclysmic Nexus : Blitzed Out Overdrive**

* * *

***EPOV

Oh, fuck. Her body. Her delicious, too tight body. Bella's voice added to my mind-fuck, making me hiss. My hands roughly latched onto her ass, holding her still.

My cock throbbed hard within the deepest part of her.

Bella twitched, trying to fight my hold. The movements made us rub against each other, slick walls around steel flesh, soft breasts against hard muscle.

"Edward."

"Stay fucking still, baby. I'm too close-"

"Oh God!" Bella cried, her movements becoming rougher. She bit her lip, leaning down and licking my jaw as she writhed on my lap.

I could hear how wet she was. Could hear her pussy sucking on my cock.

_Fuck. Fuck, baby, _yes.

"Bella, I'm too close..."

"I need it. Need your cum. Deep."

_Who _was this girl? Where did she come from? She was destroying me, practically thrashing on my lap. I gritted my teeth, my hands still clenched around her ass cheeks. The sensation was perfect. Too perfect.

Her body was just as perfect.

Her hard nipples rubbed against my chest. I licked my lips, needing to taste.

Bella moaned, placing a small kiss against my lips. I tilted my head, ready to slide my tongue in. Bella pulled back before I could, making me growl.

My disappointment didn't last long. Bella reached up, cupping one gorgeous tit and actually offered it to me.

Too hot. Too sexy.

I laved the hard peak, letting my tongue flick back and forth before sucking it into my mouth. Bella became insistent on my lap, moving in a way that would forever haunt me. I watched her as I circled my tongue around her nipple, knowing how much she loved watching too.

"Edward, need to...come. Please. Let me ride you," she breathed, looking down at me pleading, and biting her lip.

I growled, my teeth biting down on her little nipple. Using the hold I had on her ass, I lifted her before slammed her down on me hard. We jerked, both our heads falling back from the pleasure. Bella lowered her forehead and pressed it against mine as her wings slowly circled me. They connected with my own and I was pushed once more to the edge.

"_Edward_-"

"Fuck me, baby," I breathed, slamming her down on me.

My wings wrapped around her until we were both surrounded by each other.

"Fuck me. Make me come inside you."

Bella choked on a moan, her nails digging into my shoulders as she started bouncing on me hard. Pulsations of energy became near atomic blasts and the walls around us shook even harder with each slam of our hips.

I couldn't bring myself to care. I was at the point that if the structure came down, I'd just protect her from it. All that mattered was the way she was moving on me, her tits bouncing deliciously. I leaned down and sucked another into my mouth, giving into the heat of her body.

A heat that was growing dangerously high. It was so good. So fucking... "More," I demanded, voice hoarse. "Ride me harder."

"Edward, so close-"

"Then come on me. Come all over my cock. Do it baby, please. Take me with you," I begged shamelessly, lost in the heat and tug of her body .

Bella threw her head back again, riding me with sheer abandon. The moment she clamped down around me, my eyes snapped open, unseeing until I felt the connection between us become stronger than we had ever experienced before.


	130. Rapture

**Nyddi: **Yes. I'm officially back with some #GEN. LOL, as you all know by now, things have gotten crazy with my published works, and they now take most of my time. However, I am slowly making time to write my fics again. GEN updates will be twice a week, Wednesdays and Fridays, starting today. I can't do anymore than that since I'm on tight writing schedule. Thank you so much to all my fans for being understanding and for following me as I jump back and forth between the fic and published world.

* * *

**Chapter 130**

**Rapture**

* * *

***BPOV

There was a blast. A shudder. Everything shaking and groaning with a warning.

None of that mattered to us.

I collapsed on Edward's chest, energy blasting through my veins. I whimpered, but it was lost in the roar of power around us. Edward's arms shot around me, his wings folding over to cover me.

Beneath my hands, his body shook, muscles expanding. His heart roared beneath my forehead, each beat thundering through the structure. The floor shook, the entire pyramid seemed to tilt...

"Bella." His voice was hoarse. Uneven.

I opened my mouth to respond. Nothing came out. Pleasure had become pain, pain that felt more like exhilaration, and as frightened as I was, I didn't want it to end.

"Bella...it's...rap..."

He choked, his arms tightening around me even more. I lifted my head enough to look into his eyes. His glowing red eyes. My own eyes became unblinking, and as I stared into his, a dam broke in the back of my head.

Knowledge rushed forth. So much knowledge. A beautiful, agonizing rush of information.

The power around us exploded into a whirlwind of white light. The screech of it sliced through my eardrums. I couldn't even cry out. Couldn't even react when I felt the blood start to slide out of my ears.

The pyramid seemed to tilt again. This time, a blast of power seemed to shoot from the outside, righting it.

Groaning, Edward flipped us over so that I was on my back. He seemed to be fighting to break free from whatever was happening.

But why would he want to? It was beautiful. Beyond anything my human mind could have ever imagined.

"T-talk to me...are...you alright?"

His worry pulled me away. Made me blink. His concerned red eyes came into focus. I gasped, too sensitive, too weak to handle the rush of love that went through me at the look on his face. "God," I gasped, feeling tears slide down my face. Or was that blood? "What...what..."

"Rapture," he said, his expression softening. One shaking hand came up, his fingers trailing softly down my cheek. "Bella...I..."

"It's bigger than that," I croaked, knowing that he would know what I meant. The connection with him was otherworldly. This went so beyond love, I had no idea how to describe it properly.

He smiled, his neck covered in the blood flowing from his ears. I would've been worried, but I knew that we would heal.

That was just one of the million things I knew now, actually.

The roaring power was starting to calm down around us, steadying the structure we were in...

"You really okay?" he whispered in that same hoarse tone.

I nodded my head, running my hands up his biceps. They tensed and jumped beneath my fingertips, and just like that, I was on fire for him again. Arching, spreading my legs, so ready for more.

Edward's lip curled, his face morphing with hunger. "You're so beautiful. You were before, but right now..." He leaned down toward me, his eyes frozen on my mouth. His own hunger shot through me, the thoughts in his head nearly making me come before he even touched me.

An unearthly shriek sounded out from outside. It was followed by another, then another, so we pulled apart. We knew what was happening even before we heard the battle cries from outside.

_Iy'tarias' _army had touched down.

* * *

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	131. Armoured

**Chapter 131**

**Armoured**

* * *

***EPOV

"Careful." Shit, my voice was still shot. Bella was unsteady as I helped her to her feet. I refused to let her go. The world could break apart outside -actually was- but she came first.

She would always come first, I knew that without a doubt now.

"I'm fine. Outside. The others-"

I stopped her, bringing her closer. She was absolutely breathtaking. I'd never seen an Arch like her. She glowed, from the tips of her hair, to her gray-green eyes. The bright glow surrounding her reached out and touched mine.

"Edward, I'm fine. The others need us." There was steel in her tone. Determination in her fierce eyes. She looked at the wall, then tilted her head to hear what was happening out there.

"Swords are clashing. Demons are shrieking. I can feel the other Arch's arriving. Heaven's entire army is being sent down. The Earth might not survive it. The magnetic field was never meant to sustain so much energy within the atmosphere at once."

"Exactly," Bella said, turning to look at me. "We need to get out there. End this. _We _can."

She reaches out and grabs one of my hands, her fingers tighten around mine. Energy pops, swirls, expanding even more.

She's right. I know this. This was what we were created for, it's what we were to each other.

For a moment, I didn't give a damn about the war. All I wanted was to slam her back against the wall and reconnect with her. In the most primal, basic way.

"Later. After. We have to kill him. If we don't, he's going to come after me."

That's was all it took. In a flash, I materialized my armor. So focused and obsessed at the thought of her being threatened. In one moment, my single purpose for living becomes clear.

Protect her.

Defend her.

Kill anyone who gets in the way of that.

Bella closed her eyes, concentrating. Armor began to appear, the material caressing her flesh as it did. It was a female version of the black titanium and leather that covered me.

I felt my lips twitch into a smile.

"Come, Edward. Now. We have to get out there."

My mace materialized into my hand. "With pleasure."

* * *

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	132. Lex Talionis : Initium

**Chapter 132**

_**Lex Talionis**_** : **_**Initium**_

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***BPOV

The sky was nearly black when we flashed outside. The act of flashing, in and of itself was a shock, but I couldn't focus on that. All I could see was the black swarm of demons as they descended.

The white light of thousands of Arch's was reflected against the black. A perfect echo of the battle before me.

Bodies were flying, some whole, others in pieces. Mostly demons. The Arch's, no doubt, appeared to be winning, but for every few hundred demons slaughtered, another thousand seemed to land.

They were red and black, some were even fucking green. Seeing all of them had me clenching my fists. Especially the ones that had torn apart my family, the red ones.

I took a step forward, ready to blast every one of them into oblivion. I knew I could do it now, could feel the immense power swirling inside me.

"Don't." Edward's voice was gentle as he grabbed onto my arm and held me back. "Don't you feel how fragile the Earth is? If you kill them all at once, you might rip a hole through the atmosphere."

He was right. The ground wasn't shaking due to the battle. I could literally _hear _the tectonic plates grumbling, even from the top of the pyramid. I also felt them moving much faster than they should be.

"Humans..."

"Entire countries are in danger, Bella We have to fight them up close. Don't let your energy level rise above what the planet can handle. Okay?" Edward asked, lazily rotating his mase in his hand.

He was worried about the planet, but there was no sign of fear in him. No. He was ready to kill, every inch of him self-assured in his ability to do just that.

The sight of him in that armor, ready to do his duty distracted me. For two seconds, I actually freaking forgot that we were standing over a battle. The never-ending hunger inside of me demanded the body before my eyes.

Edward cursed harshly under his breath and grabbed each side of my face, bringing me closer. "Tell me you understand what I'm telling you." His lips were hot, right about my own, and I could barely get out an _"affirmative"_. "Good. Because I want you to kill as many of them as you can. The rest, you leave to me." And then he kissed me, his tongue sliding in between my lips, not giving me any leeway.

The energy that connected us burst out from us in a shockwave.

Edward pulled away. We were both panting. Breathless.

The battle below us stopped. I felt hundreds of eyes on us. The _bersfutu _especially. One of them screeched, taking off straight toward us.

Edward gave me one more hard look as the rest headed our way. "Destroy them, Bella."

I materialized a sword into one hand, and a smaller version of his mase into the other. "With pleasure," I echoed, turning just as the first _bersfutu _reached us.

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	133. Lex Talionis : Caede

**Chapter 133**

_**Lex Talionis**_** : **_**Caede**_

***EPOV

I grabbed the demon by the throat, bringing it close enough to slam my mase down it's throat. One twist, and it's head flew off, hitting one of the others heading our way and knocking it unconscious mid air..

I know Bella meant to tear down the first _bersfutu _herself. But it was heading straight toward her, and no one threatened my girl. Nevermind the fact that she was perfectly capable of looking after herself now. A point that was proven when she launched into the air, looking exactly like an avenging Valkyrie.

Her sword slashed through the head of one demons. Her mase tore another in half. A small, feminine battle cry erupted from her. With a twist, she landed on the back of another demon and literally _rode _him, kicking him toward a swarm.

I was transfixed. So much so that I almost didn't see the asshole that landed in front of me.

Correction: assholes.

I smiled tightly, raising my mase and waving it at them. They'd landed less than three feet from me, haunched on their twisted, red feet. As one, they tilted their heads, black eyes staring at me curiously. I tossed my mase into the other hand, repeating the wave. Their heads moved side-to-side, following the motion.

"Oh, for fuck's sake. They sent the retarded ones after me."

"Just fucking kill them! We need help down here!"

Emmett's scream galvanized the morons in front of me. They let out a loud squawk that had me cringing.

By the time they got to me, I flashed, appearing behind them. With one swing, three heads went flying. Dark blood shot into my eye, momentarily blinding me. I felt the claws of one of the demons latch onto my arm. With a roar, I twirled, slamming it into the pyramid wall. The other two came at my back, their claws almost sinking through my armor.

I ripped the head off the one I was holding, and turned to shove my fingers deep into the tendons of the others. I latched onto the flesh between their necks and shoulders, and pulled until their screeches mixed with the sounds of skin tearing and blood gushing.

My vision cleared enough for me to focus on what was happening below. The two _bersfutu _I'd just torn into lay at my feet, twitching, bleeding out a river that stained the stone beneath them. I very much intended to reach down and finish them, but another wave of creatures had just landed.

Off to the right, Alice spun, two scythes in her hands, and huge white wings flaring out behind her. Rose was four steps behind, with a grenade launcher on full blast, and wings equally as large protruding from her back.

The fuck? When...

Didn't matter. Directly in front of my eyes, I could see ten of my brothers fighting off a swarm of demons. Behind them, my Bella was slicing through them like a blender on blast. I didn't even have time to be proud, because ten feet in front of them, the ground was beginning to cave in, a dark chasm opening.

The black energy that shot out of it produced a sonic wave, sending everyone flying off their feet. The ground shook and stone fell from the structures. My back hit the wall of the pyramid.

My stomach hit my feet. Because every hair on my body stood on end and every sense I had realized what the hell just happened.

_Iy'tarias _had somehow broken out of his fucking cage.

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	134. Lex Talionis : Escape

**Chapter 134**

_**Lex Talionis**_** : **_**Escape**_

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***BPOV

The ground was opening up beneath me so fast. Iit was worse than a sink hole. Most of the angels in front of me managed to jump into the air, their wings lifting them far from the hole. The demons they were fighting followed.

Hell, the demons that were fighting me did the same thingl. For some reason, the dark energy I was feeling terrified me to the point of freezing every muscle. Every bone. Eyes wide, all I could do was watch as my body started sliding down, right toward the ever-expanding hole.

I opened my mouth, trying to take in enough air. Fear was circulating hot and cold through my veins. Anger swiftly followed. I could sense what was coming.

What was coming for me.

"Bella!" Edward all but slammed into my back, his arms snapping around my waist. He jumped into the air with me, taking off just as the ground finished collapsing beneath our feet.

"We need to contain it!" Someone screamed.

Edward flew higher, turning me in his arms and pressing me against his chest. I could feel his heart racing.

Below us, angels and immortals alike were racing to the edge of the hole, blasting it with pure energy.

"He's here." Trembling, I wrapped my arms around Edward, consumed by equal parts rage and hate. "He's coming for me."

"No. That was only one of the seals. There's eight of them throughout the whole planet. His prison was below the last one. He's out, but he's not here."

Eight. Eight separate holes, all opening to God's knew where. Neighborhoods? Were people falling into them? Was the black energy seeping out, consuming them?

More screeches shot out from the hole. Even as the warriors struggled to seal it, I could hear the groans of the creatures still trying to leak out.

"Edward!" I screamed over the roars. "What's down there?"

I should've expected his answer. There was only one that made sense. Still, when he said it, I almost fell right out of his arms.

"Hell, Bella. It's hell."

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	135. Lex Talionis : Heat

**Chapter 135**

_**Lex Talionis**_** : **_**Heat**_

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***EPOV

She was trembling in my arms, all the bravado from before gone. I knew why, too. Knew that feeling the evil from _Iy'tarias_ was too much for her.

Instinct flared, making my arms tighten around her. She would never be hurt. I wouldn't allow it, nor would I allow her to be afraid. Never.

She didn't deserve any of what had happened to her up to then. Even if it meant I had to take her out of the damned dimension, I'd remove her from everything.

Keep her safe.

My brothers were going to succeed in closing the hole. There was no doubt. Even now, the ground was mending together, the hole re-sealing.

There were still demons beyond that, engaged in war with other immortals. Hundreds of them. Didn't matter.

We were done.

Gently, I cupped Bella's small chin in my hand and tilted her head up. Her multi-colored eyes were wide. Fearful. Even with all the chaos around us, I couldn't help but lean down and press my lips against hers gently.

"Baby, don't be scared. I'm going to get you out of here," I breathed against her lips.

She shook her head.

"Bella, they've got this. We don't need to-"

"Yes, we do."

I pulled back enough to stare into eyes that were no longer fearful. No, they were steely. Determined. "Bella..."

"No. I'm okay now. We're not leaving, Edward."

Seeing the fierceness behind her gaze hit me with a wave of heat. I shouldn't have been surprised when my abs tightened with need, but I was, damn it. "You sure?"

Bella's wings suddenly arched out, flapping and supporting her weight. Not that she let go of me, or I of her. Her small hands latched onto either side of my jaw and pulled me down.

The kiss she gave me made my wings twitch, almost losing the strength to hold me up. Her lips were soft. Her tongue shot straight into my mouth, each wet lick making me harder.

I groaned when she pulled away, desperate to have her back. "Bella."

"Edward, we need to kill everything. Now. The faster we do, the faster I can have you to myself."

She was distracting me. I knew what she was doing. She was practically leading me by my cock, shooting all my arguments into hell with just a few flicks of her tongue.

And I was more than okay with that.

"Fine. But make it quick. I have plans for you."

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	136. Lex Talionis : The Surge

**Chapter 136**

_**Lex Talionis**_** : **_**The Surge**_

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***BPOV

He didn't want to let me go. His fingers were tight around me. His eyes intense from beneath a tense brow.

I could feel it, too. Could feel his body calling to me, even though there was a war going on beneath us.

I was almost tempted to stay. Almost tempted to let him take me where he was going to take me to so that we could be alone.

A screech had me jumping away. Behind Edward was one of the demons was heading straight toward him.

He could've taken it on. I knew that. But it didn't matter, all I saw was one of those things about to threaten my man.

Its life was officially forfeit.

Crying out, I materialized my swords back into my hands and shot right past Edward. I slammed both weapons into the demon's forehead.

Its eyes bulged, popping out of its head. Blood sprayed everywhere, landing hot against my face.

But that was not enough. It had threatened him. Its heart was still faintly beating, I could hear it. Needed to hurt it some more.

I scissored the knives, slicing its head apart. With another cry, I brought the blades down in an arc, slicing clean through the demon.

Body parts fell.

Its torso was still in front of me. With another arc of my arms I divided that up too, the remaining four pieces falling straight to the floor.

Edward called out to me. I heard him but couldn't react. That evil energy was pulsing through the air, in shockwaves, actually slamming into my molecules.

Unleashing rage.

Bitterness.

Visions of further bloodshed.

I had felt the same energy once before. Had felt it sticking to the walls of my home the night they'd killed my family.

Feeling it again made me lose rationality. Nothing mattered. Nothing except destroying every demon.

Hunting _Iy'tarias _down and ripping him apart.

"Bella!"

There was something odd about Edward's voice that time. It'd sounded warped. Even as enraged as I was, I cared. When it came to him or anything about him, I cared.

But I still couldn't stop myself.

With a roar that sounded unholy, I shot straight back toward the ground, determined to end this battle once and for all.

Once it was done, there'd be nowhere for _Iy'tarias _to hide.

Nowhere.

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